Rise of the 14th: The Akuma's Backfire!
by Kirameki Nella
Summary: Allen's mission goes awry and the Akuma have stolen his Innocence. Found and taken in by Tyki, Allen has to deal with living with all of the Noah and taking tips from the 14th to survive. It appears that the Akuma are now eating the Innocence and rebelling against the Earl; which could only mean one thing: the exorcists and Noah have to team up. NeAllen. Neah x Allen.
1. Chapter 1

**Short AN here. This happens after the exorcists have returned from retrieving the Ark. I hope you enjoy the story ^-^ This will be NeAllen and D. Gray-man does _not _belong to me! Happy reading!**

* * *

_Its all over..._Allen thought horrifically. _My life is destroyed..._Allen dragged his body against the cold, brick wall. He coughed up a puddle of blood. _Am I...am I going to die? Does it even matter anymore? _Allen looked down at his arm. The jewel that was once embedded into it was gone. It had been brutally removed from his hand. Blood was gushing everywhere, and it wasn't just from his hand. He turned into an alleyway and collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood. Coughing led to throwing up and, sooner than later, the world around him became fuzzy. _I failed..._

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Allen cursed under his breath. "Awe, are you not happy to see me, Shounen?" Allen looked up and glared at him. He was quite appalled by the blood that colored his mouth.

"Go...away..." Allen grumbled. Tyki smirked.

"What? And pass up this chance to destroy your Innocence that should've happened so long ago?" Allen bitterly laughed.

"You had your chance." _He's acting strange..._Tyki thought, his eyes traveling around his body. There were cuts, bruises, and gashes everywhere. His eyes landed on Allen's left hand, which had a hole drilled straight through his palm. _He's got to be in some major pain right now. _"Go...ahead..." Allen whispered.

"Hm?" Tyki hummed.

"Just end it already..." Allen coughed up more blood.

"Sorry, I can't end you just yet." Allen was silent, Tyki could tell he was waiting for him to kill him. "Why are you so persistent on dying?" Tyki asked.

"I failed...it's over...it's gone..." Allen hoarsely muttered.

"What's gone?" Tyki asked even though he already knew the answer to that question.

"My Innocence." Allen whispered pitifully. Tyki snorted, he could always be talking about some other Innocence. "So what if you're not a virgin anymore, that really doesn't-"

"You idiot..." Allen scowled but Tyki could still see a blush appear on his flustered face. Hey, he was just trying to lighten the mood... "You know what I meant..." Tyki sighed.

"Life isn't all about being an exorcist, you know."

"What else then...my life was as an exorcist and if I go back...they'll..." Allen shook his head, he couldn't even say it. He would be guaranteed an enemy for sure. He didn't have the Innocence to help out and he already had the Noah in him. He would be useless for help to them. The only reason they ever guaranteed him as a friend was because he had precious Innocence.

"Then don't go back. Live your life as you want it until Neah appears."

"Idiot. I wanted to be an exorcist! Please...just take it away...make it go away...please..." Allen pleaded regrettably.

"Begging for mercy now? I thought you had more dignity than that." Allen didn't answer and Tyki sighed. "As you wish." Allen closed his eye and relaxed. He felt a small pain to the back of his neck and blacked out.

* * *

"What did you do to my Allen-chan?!" That voice sure was familiar to him. Allen slowly opened his eyes and watched in slight amusement as Road bashed Tyki with a teddy bear. He looked at Tyki, puzzled, and Tyki looked back at him. Allen looked at Road as she turned around and quickly closed his eyes, hoping she didn't see them open. "Oh my poor Allen~!"

"You just care for Neah's wellbeing, don't you?" Tyki asked.

"I'm bored~!" Road changed the subject. Tyki rolled his eyes.

"Go play with Lero or something." He shooed her away.

"Okay~! But we're playing dress up later~!" Tyki groaned, causing Road to giggle and run out the door. She slammed it behind her. Tyki let out a long groan. Allen's thoughts drifted to the questions roaming around his mind. Where was he? Why was Tyki and Road here? Why did he feel so numb? What happened to cause him to be in bed? A large bed at that...where was he again?

"Where am I?" Allen winced at how pathetic he sounded. Tyki either didn't notice or pretended not to. Instead, he stuck to playing with a particularly curly lock of his hair.

"You're at the Millennium Manor." _What is that?_ Allen's thoughts drifted back to the previous events before he woke up. The Akuma, the brick wall, the alley...Tyki.

"Why am I still alive?" Tyki sighed at Allen's serious question.

"Well I'm not exactly allowed to kill you. You are the shell for Neah after all." Tyki muttered.

"I see...so I just have to wait until he takes over? And then just disappear? I wonder what will happen to my soul..." Allen wondered aloud.

"Shounen-" Tyki started, but Allen continued on his rant.

"Will I disappear into nothingness?"

"Shounen..."

"Will I go to heaven, or hell?" He wondered.

"Shounen!" Tyki snapped, trying to get Allen's attention.

"Maybe I'll just roam the earth listlessly..."

"Allen!" Allen looked over, hearing his name be called.

"Why did you need a living body for The 14th's memories? Maybe he'll just take over my soul. I wonder what will happen to me?" Tyki sighed. "Does the Earl know I'm here?" Tyki nodded. "Neah, huh?" Allen closed his eyes and messed with the hole in his left hand, which was covered by a bandage.

**Allen~**

Allen heard a voice inside his head and opened his eyes, only to see that he was in a different room.

"Tyki? Where..." Allen looked around the pure white room and saw a mirror. "...am I?"

"You're in your mind." Allen deadpanned.

"Huh? My mind?" Allen looked around the white space and noticed a small pool of water. He walked over and looked inside. He was currently thinking about everyone at the Order. He saw his own memories floating around in small images in the pool. He looked around. "Where are you? Who are you, my conscience?"

"I could be." The voice chuckled.

"Where are you? Who are you?" Allen stood up from the small pool and walked over to the mirror. He looked inside to see it was a two way mirror and there was someone in it. It was definitely a Noah. He had tanned gray skin like the Noah's, not to mention the golden colored eyes. He had smooth black hair that reaches half past his ears. His smile was familiar to Allen...it reminded him of Mana. Allen placed his hand on the mirror. "14th?" The Noah rolled his eyes.

"Neah. Call me Neah." Allen stared at Neah for a long time. He looked a lot like Mana except his hair was shorter and he was...well, a Noah. He also had a mischievous look in his eye. Allen sighed an placed his head on the unbreakable glass.

"So...you're the one who's going to take over me, huh?" Neah's smile turned upside down. "14th..." Allen whispered. "You can see everything and hear everything I think, huh?" Neah nodded. "I hate you."

"You and I both know that isn't true."

"You're wrong. That pool is deeper than it looks. Deep down, I really hate you." Neah frowned. Allen let the tears fall. Neah knew him and everything he did, hell, he even knew how Allen _felt_. "You...you can see everything I do, everything I feel..."

"What's so bad about that?" Neah asked innocently...as innocent as a Noah could be...

"Everything. I feel like I have no privacy because of you. Mana loved you more than anything...even more than me..." Allen sank to his knees, sobbing. He didn't care how pitiful he looked. He'd admit that he was strong, he knew he was, but all the stress from 'being' the 14th was piling up on him and he just couldn't take it anymore. "He didn't care about me, he only cared about you...all I was, was some abandoned kid on the road...I meant nothing to him. I was only someone who could bring you back. If you came back before, I would be abandoned again...no matter how much I loved him, he would never feel the same..."

"Your friends care about you." Neah said quietly.

"I can't see them, so it doesn't even matter. It's okay though now. I don't have a life anymore anyways..." Allen wiped away his eyes. Crying in front of the enemy...how pathetic. Then again, he's already begged for mercy, what dignity does he have left? He closed his eyes again, seeing Neah's frowning face disappear into darkness. Allen opened his eyes again to see Tyki snoozing in a chair next to the bed. Allen stared blankly ahead at the ceiling. What was he supposed to do now? He was in the enemy's hands...were they really even his enemies now? He felt lonely. He wished he could just turn back time and spend a little more time with everyone. Even Kanda would be nice consent to his feeling of loneliness.

**I'm sorry...**

_For what?_

**For all that I've done, I didn't mean to do all this to you...**

Allen let out a sigh.

_Its okay, I guess Fate and I never were on the same coin anyways._

**Don't give up on living.**

_If I did that, then you wouldn't be here._

**I'm not going to take over you...**

Allen sat straight up in his bed.

_What?_

"Huh-what? Oh Allen, you're awake-whoa..." In Tyki's eyes, Allen's skin was as dark as a Noah's and his eyes were wide and golden. It almost looked as if he was concentrating on something.

**You cannot tell the others of this, okay? I'm just lending you some of my Noah power. This Holy War is about to get really serious. The Akuma are starting to regain their own will and they're starting to swarm. You saw what that Akuma did with your Innocence, didn't you? You need to tell the Earl to stop making Akuma or it could be the destruction of us all.**

_He won't listen to me!_

**You're right...but he will listen to me.**

_...what are you scheming?_

"Hello, earth to Allen! Are you okay?" Tyki asked.

**Nothing, I will talk to you later about it. Right now, I just need to rest.**

_...you can sleep? In my mind?_

**Yeah, weird right?**

_Definitely._

**Oh, and before I go...Tyki woke up.**

Allen's concentration was broken and his colors faded back to normal. He looked at Tyki, who was inches away from his face.

"Good morning." Allen greeted uncertainly. _Why was he so close to my face? _Allen wondered as Tyki drew back away from him.

"That was weird..." He mumbled.

"What was weird?"

"You looked like a Noah there for a few seconds and you wouldn't respond to me."

"Really? Huh..." Allen wondered what he looked like when he was a Noah. His hair was white...how would that look against dark skin?

"Are you hungry?"

"What?" Allen snapped back to attention.

"I dunno...you haven't really eaten in a few days...you were out for a week."

"Wh-what?! Then how did I eat?!"

"We fed you? You ate unconsciously which is quite a talent actually." Tyki complimented with amusement.

"Oh. Sorry for the inconvenience." Allen sighed an rubbed his eye.

"That's okay...so are you hungry? We're all about to eat at the table if you wanna join." Allen's stomach churned at the thought of eating happily together with his ex-enemies. They probably didn't really like him all too well. Tyki laughed. "Don't worry, they won't bite...well they won't bite you...I don't think..."

"Um..." Allen muttered. Tyki smiled and ruffled his hair.

"It'll be okay...you're not really an exorcist anymore..." Allen opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Yeah..." Allen looked down at the clothes he was wearing...which weren't his. _They must've changed me too..._Allen blushed at the thought.

"Um." All he was wearing was a long white button up shirt..._why can't I talk to him? We're not enemies anymore!_

"Right well, I didn't have any clothes that would fit you and the rest of us really don't fancy sharing our clothing. The only one whose clothes you would fit would be Road's and I'm sure you don't want to wear her clothes. While you were sleeping we washed your clothes but...I really didn't know what to do with your uniform. I don't think you'd want to wear it to the table if you know what I mean." Allen nodded sullenly. Tyki laid his clothes on the bed and made his way over to the door. He leaned against the doorway. "I'll be waiting right outside the door. Just knock when you're done." Allen nodded. Tyki closed the door and waited patiently for Allen to finish dressing. He saw the twins make their way down the halls toward him, pointing guns at each others' heads. They saw Tyki and headed over.

"Tyki! Thank god we found ya! Care to tell us who the exorcist is?" Devit asked.

"What?" Tyki asked.

"The Millennium Count said that we have an exorcist with us and that Neah is in his memories and such. Who is it?! No one will tell us!"

"Who is it, who is it?!" Jasdero nodded his head dumbly. Tyki smirked.

"I guess you'll just have to find out during dinner." He replied smugly.

"Awe, you're no fun!" Devit said childishly.

"No fun!" Jasdero repeated. Devit looked at the door Tyki was leaning up against.

"He's in there, isn't he!?" Devit asked.

"He's getting dressed, respect his privacy will you? He's already got a Noah in his head watching everything he does." Tyki informed, sighing.

"Since when were you the one for privacy?" Tyki simply chuckled at Devit's question.

"You do have a point there. Why haven't you two heard anything about him? He's been here all week." Tyki said.

"He has? Oh, well...we were trying to look for that Cross guy...he's disappeared from the Order." Devit grumbled.

"Really? Well good riddance is what I say-" There were a few light knocks on the door. Tyki stood up straight and opened the door. Jasdero and Devit's jaws dropped. Devit was the first to recover. He shoved an accusing finger in Allen's face.

"It's you!" He shouted quite too loudly for Allen's taste.

"It's him, it's him!" Jasdero said obviously.

"It's me." Allen confirmed. He was actually feeling really nervous about eating with everyone. _I have a bad feeling about this..._Allen gulped and hesitantly followed Tyki as the twins pestered him about 'Debt'.

"Come on, exorcist, tell us how much money you've paid in debt!" Allen mumbled something they couldn't hear. "Speak louder!" Allen rubbed his aching ear.

"You guys talk too much." Allen growled.

**Ahahahahahahaha! Look at their faces!**

_Neah? I thought you went to sleep!_

**Well, I was going to...but this is my perfect chance to tell the Millennium Count about the Akuma's strange behavior!**

_I thought I told you already, he won't listen to me._

**But he _will_ listen to me.**

"Whoa, he's totally out of it..." Devit waved a hand in front of Allen's face. Allen smacked it away.

"Quit it." He grumbled. These two really annoyed him sometimes...but that could just be because they wanted him to pay petty debts.

"Oh, you heard me! I thought you spaced out there for a minute." Allen weakly glared at the raven haired Noah. They stopped at two large wooden doors. Allen's stomach started doing front flips. This really wasn't good...what if they really did try and kill him?!

**Don't worry about it, Allen, you'll be fine and if it comes to it, I'll help out.**

_How do you propose you'll do that?_

**Just trust me on this. They may be a little odd...but they know that I'm inside you-**

-_That sounds weird-_

-**So I doubt they'll try and hurt you.**

"Allen~! Are you coming to eat dinner with us~!? My father's coming too!" Road nearly tackled Allen. He was able to side-step her in time though.

"Fa...ther?" He questioned.

**Um...maybe this might actually be a bit difficult. Heh, you see, Sheryl is really protective of her so...don't fuck up.**

_Thanks, I appreciate your advice._ Allen thought sarcastically.

**Anytime~!**

"Don't just stand there! Let's go inside!" Road giggled and grabbed Allen's left hand, causing him to yank it back.

"Ow!" He scowled at her. Road blinked and picked his hand back up.

"What's wrong with your-" She started to ask but Allen quickly cut her off. He didn't want any of the Noah to know about how embarrassing it was to have lost his Innocence...that he was basically really weak right now and that they could kill him in a second if they wanted to. He _wasn't _weak.

"N-nothing! I'm fine!" He assured. Road's face broke out into a wide grin.

"Awe~! Is Allen-chan shy~?" She teased.

"What?" Allen mumbled. Road grabbed his right hand this time and dragged him through the double doors. They made quite a racket and the Noah's already inside were staring at him. He felt Tyki grab onto his left wrist (thankfully) and pull him back. Road turned her head and glared at the offending Noah.

"Tyki?" She asked a bit more harshly than Allen would have expected her to. Tyki smirked.

"What if I want to sit by Shounen?" He asked.

"No way! Allen is mine!" Road claimed, engulfing him in a bone-cracking hug.

"Can't...breathe..." Allen said hoarsely. Now he knew how Lavi felt now when Kanda was grabbing onto his shirt that one time in the Ark. Both Tyki and Allen caught the over-protective glares of a certain long haired Noah with a monocle. Tyki removed Allen from Road's grasp.

"Road, you've got to learn to share!" Tyki tried talking childishly. It _really _didn't suit him in Allen's opinion. Allen could feel Neah chuckling in his head...which felt _really _weird...like he was vibrating or something...

"Guys..." Allen muttered quietly.

_Neah, what do I do?!_

**Uh...I dunno...**

_You're very useful!_

There was a loud noise that sounded like someone was clearing their throat. Both Road and Tyki jumped.

"It was nice of you to join us, exorcist." Allen flinched. The Millennium Earl. Allen was frozen to his spot, what was he supposed to say? "Or, should exorcist not be the word for it?" Allen hid his left arm behind him and gave the Earl a hard look. "Why don't you come sit next to me." Allen stiffened.

_I'm so dead!_

**No wait, this is a good thing. Go on, go sit next to him!**

_Are you crazy?!_

**Just a tad bit.**

_Neah!_

**Just go!**

There was one other occupant at the table who had white hair. He was a Noah too of course and he seemed to be staring at Allen with mild interest. Allen noticed his staring and flickered his eyes at him for a moment. His amount of curiousness sort of started to creep Allen out. Couldn't he just sit there like a normal person _without _staring at him? He already had enough problems on his plate with _seating _arrangements.

_I don't know..._

"There's no need to be shy~!" The Millennium Earl sang.

"Stop standing there like an idiot and sit next to the Millennium Count!" Skinn, a burly man that was thought to be dead by Kanda, shouted at him while throwing a plate. Allen dropped on his knees to dodge it.

**Nice dodge!**

_Can you please be serious?!_

"Skinn, we do not treat our guests brutally. Please, come and sit." The Millennium Earl was being awfully nice..._I should keep my guard up..._Allen awkwardly shuffled over, all eyes were on him as he sat in the seat next to the Earl.

_Okay...can I die now?_

**Hahahaha! You're just too cute Allen. Just don't worry alright?**

_I'm worrying!_

**Well stop!**

_Why was this a good idea again?_ Neah chuckled, which made Allen's head feel all funny. _Please don't laugh, it feels weird._

**Sorry, I couldn't help but notice that everyone was staring at you and you just don't seem to notice a thing!**

Allen blinked and his eyes returned to its cloudy gray. Only everyone around him had noticed that his eyes turned gold. He didn't notice at all. Allen didn't stare back, but kept his gaze to the floor. Why did they all find it so interesting to stare at him? Was he really that interesting? Did his presence really bother them that much? Allen gripped the edges of his chair.

"You must be hungry, go ahead and eat." The Earl reassured him.

_I think my stomach's too busy being an acrobat right now..._Allen heard silent chuckling from the white haired Noah. Neah chuckled too, even though Allen told him not to. _What's so funny?_

**That white haired one is Wisely and he can read your...er...our thoughts.**

_Kill me now..._

Just then Allen suddenly acclaimed a head splitting head ache. He winced and held his head in his hands.

"Ow..." He grumbled.

"Something the matter...Allen?" Tyki asked. All the Noah stared as his skin started to turn dark and his eyes flashed gold.

"...Neah." Some of them mumbled together. A sigh came from the now tan skinned boy. It didn't sound like him at all.

"I hate to take over, Allen, but there's something I must discuss with Adam." Now _Neah _said. The Earl's eyes widened as well as everyone else's.

**Neah...it hurts...**

_I know, I'm sorry. This will be quick, I promise._

"I have only revealed myself for one reason so don't go thinking I'm staying like this." He snapped at them.

**It...it doesn't hurt you like this does it?**

"No, it doesn't. Anyways, Earl, I've come out to ask you to stop making Akuma and no, not to benefit the exorcists, there's a different reason to it." Neah started unwinding the bandage on Allen's hand. After he unwound it all up, he showed the hole that went straight through. There were several gasps and Road gnawed on her lip. "They're starting to become immune to the Innocence and this doesn't benefit you. They are starting to steal the Innocence and swallow them to make them more powerful. Along with that, they regain control of their own thoughts and actions, not as your weapons. I suggest that all of you put your differences aside and pair up with the exorcists. If not, our lives will go to ruin." They all stared, wide-eyed, at him.

"Neah, how do you know about this?" The Earl asked slowly, the usual playfulness in his tone was now gone. It was the first time that Allen had heard him actually being serious...other than the time he stabbed Tyki with his sword...

"I saw it all in Allen's head, of course." Neah tapped on Allen's temple. "I can lend him power anytime I want so don't even think about hurting him, got it?!" He growled. Everyone slightly nodded their heads...except for Earl. Neah sent a suspicious look towards the Earl before retiring. Again, the head splitting pain came back and caused Allen's head to feel like it was slowly exploding.

"Ugh..." Allen didn't even want to look up at all the stares. They all kept Wisely in their line of vision since he was the only one who could read minds.

_I feel like I'm going to throw up...and I didn't even eat anything!_

**I'm sorry! Want me to kiss it and make it better?**

_What the heck? How is that even possible?_

**Its really not.** Both Wisely and Allen sweat dropped.

"I think Allen would like to retire." Wisely said as he picked at his food with his fork. Tyki stood up and walked over to Allen, offering to escort him out. After all, this manor was quite large and, knowing Allen, he would probably end up getting lost. Allen swallowed nervously and quickly followed Tyki out of the dining room. Tyki didn't speak at all so neither did Allen.

_This is awkward. Look what you did Neah!_

**But I just wanted to help!**

_I know..._Allen sighed as he opened the door to his temporary room. He walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. _I kinda wish that there was never any Akuma to begin with and none of this would have happened. It's childish thinking...but maybe all of us, the Order an the Noahs could've became friends._

**I don't think it's childish...**

_I wish I could see my friends..._Allen brought his knees to his chest glumly. _I don't even think they'd want to see me now though...what am I supposed to do now? I don't think they will let me leave to help out in the war either._

**Well if the Noah _do _team up with the exorcists, I think they'll let you.**

_So then...where do I go from here?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Much thanks to my reviewers: Wilhelm Wigworthy, NoName-chan, TOOLAZYTOLOGIN, OneDayPineapple, and Firediva0! I hope I didn't rush in too soon with this chapter ^^;; If I did, forgive me for that. Anyways, I don't own D. Gray-man!**

* * *

The next time Allen opened his eyes, he felt _really _hungry. He still didn't want to eat with the Earl and the Noah though. That would feel too awkward for him. He couldn't guarantee if Neah was awake yet either so he decided to explore the house and maybe, just maybe, find the way out of there and hopefully memorize the way back from town. He's been on missions where he was forced to hunt down animals and find fruit to eat, so he was pretty sure he didn't really even need any money. As long as he got some food, he would be okay. Allen swore he'd never been so hungry in his entire life. He literally felt like he could eat an entire banquet and still be hungry...not that that hasn't happened before...

The weird thing was, even though his Innocence was gone, Allen could still feel a big appetite ahead of him. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was just because his stomach was used to being stuffed so much or the fact that he was _really _hungry. Dressing into some clothes Tyki went out and got for him, Allen left the room to go explore the mansion. Hopefully he really wouldn't get lost. It'd be a bit pathetic to get lost in his own house...or well...was this considered his home now? Then again, he got lost at the Black Order plenty of times...

"Where are you going?" Allen nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a smooth female voice catch him. He turned his head around to see Lulubell. Hopefully this Noah was much more understanding than most suspicious people.

"I'm going for a walk." Allen explained and started walking again. He had a feeling that Lulubell would be keeping her eye on him. "If you think I'd leave this place for good, you're wrong. This is Neah's home and I don't plan on separating him from it." Allen added to maybe sooth her nerves on the topic.

**How nice of you. **

"That's uncharacteristically nice for an exorcist." Lulubell mumbled, stopping him in his tracks. He let out a small chuckle.

"Well I'm not an exorcist, am I?" Lulubell was actually quite surprised that Allen would actually have the gall to say that. _Tch, let's see him say that in front of his friends. _Lulubell thought bitterly and walked in the other direction. _Looks like they're not going to trust me so easily. _Allen thought with a sigh.

**No offense, but of course they're not. **

"Would you just shut up..." Allen grumbled to himself once Lulubell was gone. He didn't want to make her or the other Noah any more suspicious than they already were.

Neah, surprisingly enough, said nothing more after that. Allen felt like he wanted to be alone right now, but he never was alone. As great as that sounded, it wasn't really a good thing. No matter where he went, Neah would _always _be there. Allen sighed and walked around the mansion some more. An hour probably passed until Allen found a door that looked really similar to one of Road's. He touched it with his fingertips, still unsure if he should really leave. They wouldn't try and kill them, would they? He really was just going out for a walk...

Allen firmly grabbed the handle and opened it slowly. He walked through and let out a gasp when he found that he was in an abandoned cabin in the forest. _What a smart place to hide the door..._Allen thought as he looked back at the red and golden door. He walked out of the cabin and out into the yard. _I'll surely get lost here..._Allen walked along the forest and found a relatively sharp stick. He stuck it lightly in the ground behind him and started to drag it to make a trail. If he really _did _get lost, he could always trace his steps and find the door again. _Has the mansion always been here? _

The snowy haired teen nearly let out a sigh of relief when he found a town. Being around some people would sooth his nerves a bit. He already ate some fruit in the forest, hopefully not poisonous, and was biting into a relatively large apple he found on a nearby tree. He threw the core back into the forest once his appetite was satisfied and walked throughout the town cautiously. It was highly unlikely, but he didn't want to end up running into an exorcist. Just thinking about his friends made him start to feel over his bandages again. What would they say if they knew? Allen felt his heart drop to his stomach and felt really insecure without some type of hood or cloak.

This being said, Allen walked into a nearby pub and decided to do something he hadn't done in a long time. He gambled. He didn't cheat too much, meaning that he didn't get something so rare as a Royal Straight Flush, he'd chosen a different hand. He didn't even earn a lot, just enough to buy a black cloak he had seen as he passed by a clothing market. Allen liked the feel of the silky cloak as he held it in his hands. He set it comfortably around his shoulders and pulled the hood up when he exited the store. The clothing made him feel more secure.

_What to do next..._Allen wondered. He didn't want to head back just yet. He liked walking around with normal, non-pseudo humans. He felt like he actually fit in with them, other than the fact he had a Noah in his head. He did suppose that he looked a bit suspicious though with his head down, so he kept his head up. That way none of the people thought he was some burglar there to snatch someone's valuables. Allen nearly flipped out when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and felt more relieved than he would have liked to feel when he saw Tyki standing there.

"What are you doing out here? It's quite dangerous you know, for you I mean. You don't have your Innocence anymore, what if you were attacked by an Akuma?" Tyki asked, pretty curious about Allen's answer.

"Then I'd just run away or hide. It isn't like they can sense me, right? Unless..." Allen trailed off. Tyki removed his hand and nodded in understanding.

"So why did you leave without anyone?" Tyki asked. Allen slightly smiled at that question.

"You make it sound like no one is with me." He chuckled at Tyki's questionable glance. Tyki put his hands in his pockets and walked alongside Allen. "So what did _you _come out here for?" Allen asked.

"Oh, just to get some cigarettes. I buy all of them here, you see. It's quite a rare brand, but it's cheap." Tyki explained. He led the way and Allen followed him. Allen did want to be alone, but he didn't really want to chance getting lost. He figured it was time to head back anyways. "So what would you have done if you saw an exorcist?" Allen stiffened at the innocence question. Tyki really didn't mean any harm by it, he was actually pretty curious.

"I...don't know...I wouldn't have confronted them if that's what you're wondering. Without my Innocence...I'm their enemy." Allen mumbled regrettably.

"Why do you say that? You're their friend, aren't you? I may be a Noah, but I'm still a human. I know how human's feelings work." Tyki said. Allen sighed.

"That wouldn't matter. The only reason they kept me for so long whilst they knew Neah was within me was because of my Innocence. It's rare to them." Allen muttered. "Maybe my friends don't feel the same way, but they'd have no choice but to abandon me now." Allen said reasonably and made sure the hood of his cloak was firmly on his head. Tyki smiled slightly and nodded his head. He walked into a bar and Allen followed. He probably wasn't supposed to be here since he was underage, but he was sure that the owner most likely didn't even care. Tyki purchased some cigarettes and lit one from the pack. As soon as he walked out the door, the same three friends of his Allen met on the train that one day confronted him.

"Tyki, my man! It's been awhile since we saw you! Wow, your hair's gone and gotten pretty long, hasn't it?" One of them chirped.

"Tyki, did you get me any silver today?" Eez, the little blond one, asked innocently. Tyki sighed at the question.

"No, sorry Eez. It seems I got transferred from that division of the job so it doesn't look like I'll be giving you anymore silver." Tyki said, ruffling the boy's hair. _Silver...? _Allen wondered. He figured it was probably best that he didn't know though.

"Who's your friend there?" The other one asked. Allen made sure to keep his head low, unsure of how to really greet them.

"Ah, he's just an old friend I guess you could say. Anyways, we'd better get going. More secret business, I have to escort him."

"Eh, you're escorting people now?" The first one laughed. "Wow, that's kind of low." Tyki laughed along with him.

"Yeah, well, it's for my job." Tyki reasoned. The men nodded their heads and bid them farewell. Allen glanced upwards at Tyki. He was really starting to get curious... "What's with the staring?" Tyki asked. "I have friends too, you know."

"Oh no, that wasn't it. I was just...curious is all..." Allen admitted.

"Curious? About what?" Tyki asked.

"Um...never mind, it's stupid..." Allen muttered.

"If you say so." Despite Tyki's words, he still wondered what was on the ex-exorcist's mind.

"Tyki Mikk." A voice growled. The both of them froze. Tyki turned his head around to see an exorcist. It was the long haired one he fought with that one time. The one that reminded him of a samurai.

"How pleasant." He drawled. Allen hid himself behind Tyki, hoping Kanda wouldn't question his presence. He could feel Kanda's eyes on him, but the exorcist said nothing. Allen was glad that he wasn't dressed similarly as he was when he first met Kanda. That would give everything away...unless Kanda didn't really pay any attention to the clothes he wore.

"What are you doing here?" Kanda asked harshly, his hand on the end of his sword.

"I assure you I didn't come to fight." Tyki said. Kanda gave Tyki and Allen both a suspicious look.

"Really? You should know why _I'm _here. Akuma sightings...that could only mean that you one of you Noah were hiding out here and ready to ambush me when I came." He growled.

"Pretty smart thinking if that was actually true." Tyki said absentmindedly. Allen tugged on Tyki's shirt. He didn't want to hear Kanda right now...if Kanda knew...he would surely never forgive him. Kanda shifted his gaze from Tyki to Allen.

"Who's that?" He asked suspiciously.

"That doesn't matter." Tyki replied shortly. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but it seems I have a rather tight schedule."

"Hah, and you think I'd pass up the chance to slay you?" Kanda unsheathed a fragment of his sword. Tyki sighed, he didn't want to deal with Kanda right this second, especially not with Allen here. If Allen wasn't here, Tyki would probably beat Kanda up, not kill him, and then just leave.

"Ugh, can't you just take this chance and get out of here? We're in town, I don't want to cause a ruckus."

"Quite odd hearing that coming out of a Noah's mouth. Or...is there something special about this place? Is your hideout here? Or maybe..." Kanda's gaze shifted back to Allen. "Your friend's home is here as well?" Tyki was silent, unsure of how to respond to him.

"I was only here to buy cigarettes." Allen couldn't help but let out a laugh and covered his mouth. That sounded _so _ridiculous coming out of Tyki's mouth. Tyki sent Allen a weird look. "But I was..." Kanda's eyes narrowed. _That laugh...sounded familiar..._

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Allen said quietly so Kanda wouldn't hear. Kanda was an observant person. He might be slow sometimes, but he probably knew what Allen's voice sounded like.

"Is that really so weird? I just happened to be here at the time. Don't you have some Akuma to go kill, exorcist?" Tyki asked the stunned Kanda.

"...you're not going to stop me?" He questioned suspiciously.

"Of course not, I'm too busy." Tyki said and started to walk off to the opening of the forest. Allen followed behind, a bit stiff in suspicion that Kanda might still come after them. It seemed like something Kanda would do. Allen was quite thankful for the cloak he bought, if it hadn't been for that, he would've been found out by now. He did feel a bit guilty for cheating people out of their money though.

The next thing that happened surprised Allen beyond belief.

He felt a hot pain rush through his back and cried out, falling to his knees. Looking behind him, he was shocked to see that Kanda had actually _sliced _him. Kanda's sword _shouldn't _have been able to do that...but...that's right...Neah was inside of him. Tyki quickly got behind Allen and glared at him. "Well, that was interesting. I wonder if you know what you've truly done." Tyki glowered. He couldn't let Neah get hurt...but somehow, Tyki found himself being angry for Allen's sake as well.

"What? Hurt your ally?" Kanda asked with a smirk. "Did I piss you off?"

"Oh you pissed me off alright. But he isn't only _my _ally. He's yours too." Tyki informed.

"What?"

"Tyki!" Allen hissed.

"What? I can't help that...what's wrong with your..." Tyki trailed off when he saw a trail of blood slowly falling down Allen's face. _The exorcist didn't cut his face..._

"Akuma..." He whispered. Kanda's eyes widened and he lowered his bloodied sword.

"...Moyashi?" Kanda mumbled with disbelief. Allen couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"How many times do I have to tell you that the name is Allen? Are you really as stupid as I say you are?" Allen asked. Tyki gritted his teeth as an Akuma appeared behind Kanda. He quickly grabbed Allen around his stomach and moved him out of the way. Kanda spun around and sliced the level one in half. He turned back around and shouted.

"What are you doing with the Noah?! Have you betrayed the Order?!" He asked.

"I...had no choice..." Allen muttered painfully.

"What do you mean you had no-" Kanda was silenced when an Akuma's bullet brushed by him. He looked up to see an entire crowd of Akuma.

"Tyki, what are they doing here?!" Allen asked. He paused when he saw the surprised look on Tyki's face.

"I don't know...the Earl didn't...they're rebelling! Shit, let's go!" Tyki grabbed Allen where he had placed him on the ground and lifted him on his back. "We've got to warn the Earl. They plan on destroying the town! There isn't anyway that the exorcist can defeat them...all...oh, they have backup." Tyki said. Allen turned around to see Lavi, Bookman, Lenalee, Miranda, and Krory all arriving to the seen. Allen clenched his fists around Tyki's shirt and buried his head into his back. _I'm so sorry...it doesn't look like I can fight alongside you all anymore...I can't help you... _

They made it to safety and Tyki quickly turned invisibility on the door leading outside and rushed to the room Allen stayed in, laying him on the bed, which was soaked in blood in a matter of seconds. The Earl definitely wasn't going to be happy about this. He ripped up a sheet and tied it around Allen's body to stop the bleeding. "I'll be back later. We don't have anything or anyone to treat you here. And so, Tyki left the mansion to go and find a doctor in the mess outside. It seemed nearly impossible since the citizens were all running around. He had no choice but to watch the exorcists fight, hoping someone there had medicinal remedies of some sort. He noticed that the clock girl could heal the exorcists' wounds and confronted her. She squeaked and backed away from him.

"Wait, don't shout...I know this sounds stupid for someone like me to ask, but...I need your help. I know you won't help me so easily so listen. Allen is in trouble." Tyki said seriously. Miranda's eyes widened.

"Allen? He disappeared a week ago, how do you know where he is?!" She asked suspiciously.

"Quiet down or they'll hear you." Tyki snapped. Her lip quivered but she said nothing more. "Hurry and follow me. Allen's life is in your hands." Miranda looked at the others and nodded. _Please forgive me for leaving the battlefield. _Miranda closed her eyes and nodded her head. She followed Tyki into the forest and through some invisible barrier. Tyki grabbed her and phased through walls until they came upon Allen's room. Miranda activated her Innocence almost immediately and the pain in Allen's back slowly started to go away. Miranda kept her head down, hiding her expression as Allen snoozed on peacefully. The room became silent and Tyki felt relieved, yet cautious...why would Allen's wound completely disappear? Surely there was some price this woman had to pay...

"Why..." Miranda broke the tensed silence and Tyki shifted his gaze from Allen's form to Miranda's. "...why is Allen here?" She asked, her lips starting to quiver again. "Did he...did he turn his back on us?" Tyki sighed at the question.

"You...if I tell you, you can't tell the Order just yet. We need to prepare for a war here." Miranda stayed silent and waited for Tyki's explanation. "He's lost his Innocence. He can no longer be an exorcist." Hearing such tragic news, Miranda bit her lip to quell her tears.

"I'm sorry...I can't heal him..." She couldn't hold her tears back anymore. "Even though he has such a terrible wound...I can't heal him..." She sobbed. Tyki frowned at her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"My Innocence only delays a person's wounds, I can't heal them. You have to find a real doctor quickly...I can't stay here...I have to return to the battlefield." Miranda said and stood up, staring at him with a determined look in her watery eyes.

"That's...I see..." Tyki looked down at Allen, who was surrounded in red-tinted bed sheets. "How long can you hold out?" He asked.

"I can stay awake for a few days straight, but I won't have any way to contact you without...unless..." Miranda started to think. She couldn't help but rush her thoughts since her friends were waiting for her. "...a golem. If I give you a golem, we can contact that way." She said, a bit prideful that she was able to think up something so smart.

"That's...not a bad idea actually. Alright, do you have one with you?" Tyki asked politely. He didn't want this girl to erupt into tears again. She seemed quite emotionally unstable. Miranda bashed herself for not thinking thoroughly.

"I only have one that the Order monitors at all times..." She mumbled.

"That's okay...I have tease. They're the same as your golems, they're just in a different form and they're much more capable." Miranda gasped as a blackish purple butterfly emitted from Tyki's body. "The only problem is, I don't know how we can link them together." Tyki sighed.

"I can do it." Miranda let out a yelp and turned her head to the side to see a white haired Noah with white hair.

"Wisely...how long have you..." Tyki muttered.

"The Earl won't be happy about this Tyki. Not only have you been discovered by the exorcist Kanda Yuu, you brought an exorcist into our quarters. I won't tell him as long as _she _doesn't tell the Order where we live." He growled. Miranda nodded her head desperately.

"I understand! I w-won't tell anyone, I promise!" She said. Wisely stood up straight from where he was leaning on the doorway and walked over. He touched both of the golems and linked them together.

"I will hear _all _information going in between these two. Don't try anything fishy you two or I won't hesitate to rat you out." He snarled.

"I would ne-" Miranda started but Wisely cut her off.

"Get out of here already, scat." He shooed her off.

"I have to show her the way out." Tyki explained and stood up. "Stay here and watch over Allen." And with that, the two of them left.

"I can't believe you're trusting an exorcist...you should know better, Tyki, even if she'll soon be our ally." Wisely said to himself bitterly. The white haired Noah looked from the doorway to where Allen was sleeping. _Neah, are you there? _

**Yep. **

_I see...so what's Allen's condition?_

**He's in pretty bad shape. That exorcist got him good...**

_An exorcist cut him?_

**Yeah, but he probably wouldn't have if he knew it was Allen...**

_Exorcists are stupid. _

Neah didn't answer Wisely back. Wisely said nothing more to Neah and waited impatiently for Tyki to come back. He was _not _a babysitter and it wasn't entertaining at all to watch Allen sleep. In fact, it just made him want to sleep. He didn't know what Neah was planning. How could the Noah possibly team up with the exorcists? They couldn't hold Innocence and if they were going to destroy an Akuma, the person's soul would disappear and according to the Earl, Allen actually _cared _for the Akuma. It was laughable in the Noah's point of view, but Wisely supposed he somewhat understood. Allen is caring for people he doesn't know. _  
_

Truly, it was actually quite a respectable trait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for not updating sooner, I had a wedding to get ready for (my mom's). Thank you to my reviewers: Darkprincess4eva123, TOOLAZYTOLOGIN, Firediva0, and Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad! I do not own D. Gray-man. **

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Allen woke up feeling strangely refreshed. He made sure to listen carefully before opening his eyes just in case there was a Noah in the room. Hearing no footsteps or muffled talking, Allen opened his eyes. He gazed around the room and found that he was laying on the bed in his guest room that he was staying in. _Wait...wasn't I slashed by Kanda's weapon? _Allen looked around and noticed that his clothes and his sheets were blood-free. Not to mention he didn't feel any pain in his back. _Was it all just a dream? _He wondered to himself and then noticed that his clothes had been changed into some type of kimono gown..._but for what reason? _Allen was so confused, was there some type of even going on? And who dressed him...? It was a good thing Neah was there to clear things up.

**It wasn't a dream. Tyki made an agreement with one of the exorcists who somehow healed you, it won't last for long though. And as for the whole no-blood situation, I'll have you know that the other Noah's cleaned up for you. Don't worry they didn't change your clothes though, while you were sleeping I did that. **

_No offense but that's kinda creepy. I _was _sleeping you know. _

**What's so creepy about it? I've seen you naked befo-**

_That is_ _NOT what I meant! Jeez, now you made it even more creepier! _

**Oh...um...sorry? Does it help that I'm your uncle? **

_Not really considering you're my adoptive uncle. We're not really related you know._

**Damn, I know. Sorry about that then. **

_Wait, you said that an exorcist made a deal with Tyki? Who? _

**Miranda. Doesn't her power heal you for a certain amount of time and then the wounds come back when you're out of the area? I don't know, I hadn't materialized that much when you had met her then...**

_Okay, for one, please don't say things about materializing inside of me, it's freaky; and two, yes that's exactly what she does. But then...wouldn't she know about the Noah trying to get on their good side? What if she tells the others? Wait...or would that be a good thing? Oh no, then that would mean they'd think she was on the Noah's side. They're not dumb. They'd simply assume she was secretly on the Noah's side and giving info-_

Neah cut Allen off before he went on one of his ramblings.

**Well, she promised not to and in my opinion, she seems like a trustful person...as long as no one asks her about it. She also seems so emotional she might blurt it out...**

_Exactly what I was thinking._

**I know. **

_Stop. _

**Sorry...**

_So how are Tyki and Miranda contacting each other?_**  
**

**Golems. The Earl has his own Golems-even though I think they're actually Tyki's creation. You know, the Tease...**

_You mean the butterflies that ate a hole in my heart? Yeah, I know them. _

**Right...**

"Uh, hello, you in there?" Allen blinked several times to see a hand waving in front of his face. He smacked it away and glared at Devit.

"Why are you here?" Allen asked, quite a bit harshly. He didn't really like Devit all that much. The Noah, if they weren't actually Noah, seemed like good people. If Akuma didn't exist, he and Tyki would probably be best friends because of their poker skills. Road was...a bit clingy in Allen's opinion, but she still seemed to care for him. Devit and Jasdero only seemed to want to make him pay their small debts. They were more like Allen's annoying little brothers that he was responsible for.

He was _not _responsible for them.

"What, I can't visit my own family member?" Devit asked and collapsed on Allen's bed. The ex-exorcist didn't like the way Devit was staring at him in his...outfit.

"You mean Neah?" Allen asked suspiciously. Devit blinked a few times.

"Nope, I meant you. You're part of our family until Neah takes over." Devit informed with a grin.

"Thanks for the encouragement." Allen replied sarcastically. Devit simply smirked at him.

"Now...about those debts..." Devit trailed off, expecting Allen to answer. Allen just glared at him. They weren't even that high in value, why did he and Jasdero have so many troubles with them anyways?

"I'm too busy to deal with you." Allen growled.

"Busy with what?" Devit asked with a dissatisfied frown.

"Avoiding you." Allen snapped and shoo'd him out of the room. "Get out I need to dress."

"You're a guy, aren't you?" Devit asked, a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah, and have you jack my clothes to steal them for your small debts? No thank you." Allen snapped. Devit shook his head.

"Nah, Tyki bought those clothes so we wouldn't steal them." The raven haired twin informed. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Very thoughtful of you; and if they _were _my clothes?" He asked. Devit seemed 'ponder' about this, even going so far as to grab his chin in thought. Allen could tell he was faking thought though, did he really have to think about it?

"I wonder." He said quietly. Allen gave Devit a strange look, the black haired Noah really confused him sometimes. He blinked a few times with curiosity in his eyes.

"Wait, why did you say 'we', I don't see Jasdero anywh-" Allen was cut short when the ceiling above him suddenly collapsed and the world went dark around him. At first, Allen thought he had been knocked out...until he realized that if he was truly knocked out, he wouldn't be able to actually _think. __Then why is everything so da-_Allen's thoughts were cut off when he felt himself being lifted off the ground. _Am I...in a bag?! _"Hey! What's going on?! Let me out!" He demanded.

"I caught him! I caught him!" Allen heard Jasdero shout happily.

"Great job! Now let's get out of here before Tyki finds us!" Devit snickered mischievously.

"I can't go anywhere far away!" Allen warned. "There's this-oof!" Allen grumbled when he felt himself turned over in an uncomfortable position. He was pretty glad the bag wasn't transparent at the moment. "Let. Me. Out." He gritted through his teeth.

"No way, then you'd just run off!" Devit replied.

"No I wouldn't!" Allen lied. At the moment, he was pretty vulnerable. Not only was his Innocence gone, but he didn't know how to fight. Yes, he trained his body to the limit, but that was for defense not for fighting. Cross only taught him how to defend. If he actually knew how to fight, then maybe he could've somehow managed to hold Kanda off the first time they met when the exorcist tried to cut his head off. Allen pushed the memory aside. Thinking about the exorcists just made him feel lonely.

"You okay in there? You're being pretty quiet-not that I'm complaining. That way Tyki won't hear you screaming for help..." Devit chuckled sadistically under his breath.

"That's actually not a bad idea." Allen replied back calmly.

"Don't you da-" Devit started but Allen let out a loud shout.

"Let me out of here! Seriously, I can't le-" Allen choked when the bag was dropped on the floor.

"Shhh! Someone's coming!" Devit hissed. At the moment, Allen didn't really know why he was being quiet. That was until he heard the Earl's voice, along with another. He did _not_ want to see the Earl. He'd prefer the twins over the Earl any day. Thankfully, the two passed by them without spotting them. Allen wished he could see who the other voice belonged to. That way he could avoid the other person the Earl was talking to.

"Damn...how could Tyki have not heard that? I wonder how Sheryl and the Earl didn't hear us..." Devit wondered. Jasdero started snickering and rambled on about them being deaf. _So that was Sheryl then? Road's adoptive father? I should probably avoid him too..._Allen thought. He heard Devit sigh with relief, indicating that the two were gone.

"Can you please let me out of here now?" Allen asked politely, hoping they'd let him out. Devit let out a snort.

"As if! C'mon, help me lift him." Devit instructed and Allen felt himself being lifted off the ground again. He sighed, knowing that there was no way of escape. If he shouted then the Earl would just come back and he'd have to deal with facing him. He did wonder how the Earl and Sheryl didn't hear him though. He wasn't really complaining though...

"What do you two think you're doing?" A cold voice said sweetly. All three of the figures froze and didn't move. Devit and Jasdero slowly turned their heads around. Allen let out an 'oof' as he felt himself being dropped.

"Oh come _on _Sherry, we were just going to have a little fun!" Devit whined. _Sherry? Who is that? That sounded like a guy voice though. _

"Fun? Is kidnapping people what you call fun?" Sherry asked. Allen felt the bag fall around him and shielded his eyes from the sudden brightness. He winced a bit when he noticed Sheryl glaring down at him. "Oh. It's _you." _He scowled before walking off. "Never mind, do what you want." Allen deadpanned. _He really doesn't like me...is it because of Road?_

"Thanks a bunch Sherry!" Devit called. While he was busy calling over at Sheryl, Allen made sure to slip away while he could. If he could only manage to find the room he was staying in, he was sure he could change into some different clothes. Neah sure had a weird taste in clothes. Would Neah walk around wearing something so flimsy and silky? Allen didn't think he could picture Neah doing that. _Unless he put this on me because he needed a laugh. _Allen thought. He shook his head. _Where am I? If Neah was here I could always see where I'm going...but I think he went to sleep since he's been quiet all this time. _

"Ugh, great. I'm definitely lost." Allen grumbled. He felt so insecure in the showy material he was wearing. It wasn't thick at all and felt like someone could easily just cut it off. Allen definitely made sure that he avoided any Noah he saw. It was embarrassing for someone to see him in something so..._revealing._

Allen had wandered around the mansion for what seemed like hours before he saw something familiar. It was the dining room doors. Just thinking about food made him feel hungry. He only ate a couple of fruits yesterday and he couldn't really remember the last time he had a decent meal. Even on his last mission he was eating boxed foods. Jerry's cooking sounded quite nice now. It was too bad that Allen would probably never see the ecstatic chef in forever...if he even ever saw Jerry again. Thinking about his friends just made Allen's stomach churn. He sighed and sat down to take a break, feeling the hole in his left hand. _I wonder if any other Innocence will accept me...I just need to find Innocence and destroy the Akuma that ate mine...but then...what would I do with the Innocence that I found? Ugh, I miss Crown Clown. _

He never knew the feeling of missing his Innocence so badly until now.

"Lost?" Allen was startled and looked up to see Tyki smiling down at him, amused.

"A bit." Allen admitted and stood up. "Care to show me back to my room? I really need to dress out of these clothes." Allen scowled at the silky cloth. These clothes were just begging for someone to jump him. Tyki chuckled and held out his hand. It was quite odd really. If Allen had still been an exorcist, he wouldn't think twice about grabbing Tyki's hand and would have immediately refused it. Now, he still didn't think twice about grabbing Tyki's hand. This time, he accepted it and had the Noah pull him to his feet. "Thank you."

"No need to be so polite." Tyki remarked. Allen shrugged in response.

It was his in his nature to be polite to people unless he knew them really well. Mana taught him everything and Allen found himself morphing his own personality into Mana's. His personality was quite adaptable. Every time he was with Lavi, he felt more energy well up inside of him, with Miranda, he felt cautious and kind, with Kanda...well, let's just say he felt a bit more angry than he should naturally be. Each person he was around, his personality adapted to. _I wonder what my personality will adapt to around Neah..._Allen wondered as he followed Tyki back to his room.

They arrived to his room not long after and Tyki stayed with him as he dressed into some new clothes. Allen couldn't say he minded Tyki being in the room with him-they were both guys after all. The only reason Allen didn't want to dress in front of Devit was because it really seemed like the Noah wanted to jump him...which he technically _did; _he just had Jasdero help him. After dressing, Allen felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Tyki staring ahead with a serious expression before looking down at him. Allen looked ahead, out an oddly shaped window. He touched it and his hand actually seemed to go _through _it. Allen retreated his hand away and looked out the window. It was a bit foggy, but he could see someone approaching Road's red door from the cabin outside.

The man had a briefcase with him and he was wearing a long, white lab coat. He looked around several times with a look of puzzlement on his face. Allen resisted the urge to laugh and just watched as he knocked lightly on the door. Allen heard the same knock coming from behind his own door and gave Tyki the same look the man had on just a minute ago. "Road moved her door in front of yours." Tyki explained and phased a Tease out of his chest. It was the same one he connected with Miranda's golem. Allen looked between the door and Tyki confusingly.

"You don't remember?" Tyki asked as he slowly walked over to the door. "I thought maybe Neah would fill you in." He sighed and opened the door before opening Road's as well. The doctor enter with a confused expression but shook his head and muttered something about optical illusions. _Neah, are you there? _

**Yeah. **

_What is Tyki talking about? _

**Right, well while you were unconscious, Wisely and Tyki connected Tyki's golem with Miranda's so they can contact each other when she should stop her time...thing...once it stops though, you're going to need some patching up from when Kanda's sword slashed you. I'm not sure if they're going to use anything to numb you so if you don't want to deal with the pain, I'll take over. **

_Oh...wait how long has Miranda been holding this?! _

**Not a full day but almost. **

_Dang..._

Allen started to feel a bit guilty for making her hold on for so long. She probably didn't get any sleep either.

**Now is not the time to worry about that. I'm sure she will get some rest once this is all over. So do you want to switch or not?**

_Either way, I'm going to be in pain. _

**True. So I'll take that as a yes? I don't want you to suffer so much...**

_Neah, I've had my entire arm ripped off, I think I can deal with something like this. _

**I don't ever want you to deal with that sort of pain again. **

That was the last thing Allen heard before he felt a fierce pounding in his head and collapsed onto his knees. Tyki and who he supposed was the doctor, looked over and rushed to his side. "What's wrong with him?" The doctor questioned quickly.

"Nothing, this is normal." Tyki replied and then spoke into his golem. "Let it go." Tyki stared at Allen, who was now actually Neah with a distant expression. _Why does Neah care for Allen so much? Isn't he just a shell for him? There's no use caring for someone who is bound to die or disappear anyways, right? Then again, I suppose I don't have a right to say anything. _Tyki winced at Neah's cry when the wound slowly started to tear across Allen's back, leaving it's trace on Allen's shirt. _He just changed too. I wonder how upset Allen would be. _Tyki mused. He quickly followed the doctor's instructions and moved Neah onto the bed, lifting up the shirt.

"How did this happen all of a sudden?!" He heard the doctor whisper to himself. He then shook his head as if he was clearing that thought from his mind. He just needed to act fast.

Briefcase opened, the doctor began to work.

Tyki wasn't sure if he was much help to the doctor. Occasionally he handed the doctors tools and gauze pads, not to mention he drew some water once or twice, but other than that, Tyki didn't really _do _anything. He supposed that he admired Neah for taking the pain since the doctor didn't give him any medication. Neah was definitely Mana's brother. Tyki had only known Neah to be a heartless person, but when it came to the people he loved, apparently Neah was quite nice. The operation was over in under thirty minutes, even though it seemed like days. Tyki didn't know why, but he felt quite exhausted. Perhaps it was because he had been worrying too much about what would happen. If the Earl found out about this...well he wasn't sure how bad he'd be punished.

"...and don't forget to change his bandages every five hours..." Tyki didn't even register the doctor rambling until now. He nodded, knowing that Neah would just do all of these things for Allen instead. With that, the man grabbed his things and left as quickly as he could. Tyki could hear Road moving her door elsewhere from outside the room. The room was silent and Allen was sleeping softly in his bed.

"He...llo...?" The golem in his hand was squirming underneath his touch. It was Miranda speaking to him. Tyki lifted the Tease to his mouth.

"The procedure was successful. Thank you for your help, goodbye." Tyki muttered.

"Wai-"

The feeling of the Tease struggling beneath his grasp soon faded and the butterfly dissolved.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you Firediva0, greenwings33, Myst R. Ri, Sora Arashitori, Akkira Nala, and Darkprincess4eva123 for reviewing! This chapter is actually quite angsty so I guess warning to that...Allen will most likely be a bit OOC from now on because he is living with the Noah so I apologize if that bothers you. He will be in character again soon, just not as much. Without further ado, I give you the next chapter!**

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How long had it been since Allen had a good time? In Allen's opinion, it's been too long. He missed the times at the Order where he and Lavi would prank Kanda, or the times he'd spout off nonsense to said exorcist about his slowness, hell, he even missed the times when Komui would create a crazy new robot and send it on a rampage. Those times, he decided, were the greatest times of his life. Now it was all over...he regretted not doing more with them before he left. Maybe it was supposed to be like this though, maybe he was destined to guide the Noah to help out the exorcists. Allen shook his head, clearing that thought away. No, it wasn't his destiny, it was Neah's. Despite how ironic it sounded, Neah was the one who was destined to save the earth from the Earl's bloody rampage.

Allen sighed and cleared all the painful memories from his mind as he sat on the rooftop of a random house in an unknown city. Allen hadn't cared to learn the name of the town, after all, they wouldn't be staying long. It had been a month since Miranda had saved his life and he never truly got to thank her. He'd become much closer with Neah, seeing as he avoided the rest of the Noah. He did not want to befriend the Noah, despite the fact that he was now their ally. He cared for the Order too much to befriend them. Even if he had to suffer loneliness, there was no way that he'd get along with the Noah so easily. _I want to go home..._Allen thought with his eyes closed, feeling the warm breeze caress his skin. He didn't want to live in the Earl's manor anymore. He wanted to go back to the Black Order and go on missions with his real course, those thoughts were a child's dream to him now. The Vatican surely would have found out what happened by now. His disappearance and reappearance with the Noah made it clear enough.

Seeking out comfort had been hard for the white haired protagonist. The only comfort he could find so far was having those inner meetings with Neah in his mind and have the Noah tell him that was not alone and other pointless things. It soothed his mind whenever he hugged Neah, but he couldn't feel the warmth physically. All it did was sooth the nerves in his mind. He couldn't _feel _Neah there. He needed more comfort than that and it was nowhere to be found. The exorcist stood up and lifted his hood and draped the cloak around him, pulling it closer in hopes of some form of comfort. He walked around the cheap town. The people here were poor and the prices were high. Allen had to use money that Tyki gave Neah to pay for things. He wouldn't confront Tyki himself, even though the man had been more comfort than any of the other Noah were.

**Maybe you should look for Innocence. You never know where you might find it.**

Allen stopped in the middle of the dusty road, causing the person that was slyly following him from behind bump into him. The exorcist looked behind him and stared at the little kid for awhile. He had been holding a blunt knife and was in raggedy clothes, his hair caked in dirt. It reminded Allen of his past self before he had met Mana. The kid trembled under Allen's wary gaze and held the knife up threateningly. The boy's stance was definitely not balanced correctly and he didn't look that strong. Still, Allen felt the need to help this boy. He knelt down in front of the boy and gave him a kind smile. However, he had no time to speak as his left eye activated. The boy's eyes widened and he looked terrified. Allen stood up and looked around while the boy fled for his life. _An Akuma? In a place like this? _

Allen had to run.

He desperately wanted to destroy the Akuma and free the person's soul, but he couldn't do that without Innocence. Neah did have a point there. If he found some Innocence, he could find comfort through destroying Akuma...as sadistic as that sounded..._what if...the Akuma is here because an Innocence fragment is nearby? _Allen thought and felt a small flame of hope erupt in his heart. The hope quickly transformed into dread when an Akuma's bullet whizzed passed his face. _I'll have to look later though, without Innocence, I can't cure myself from the poison. _Allen warned himself and started running, the level one on his tail firing bullets at random. He was glad that the town was quite deserted; he didn't want anyone to get injured from his careless running. He stopped abruptly when he heard a familiar voice shout.

_...Lenalee? _

**You should leave before they find you, Allen. **

_I know. _Allen mentally replied and looked in the sky to see the girl jumping on random houses using her Innocence. He ran into a nearby alley to hide out and sighed with relief when he found it empty. His heart still longed to see his friends though. It was so painful...his friends were so close to him and he couldn't even say hello without being attacked. Allen clenched the cloth of the hood tightly, fighting back the tears. He had never felt so homesick in his entire life. He buried his head in his arms as he hugged his knees. _Please hurry and leave. _He thought sadly. His eye started going nuts, indicating a swarm of Akuma flying in his direction.

"Heeheehee! The power of Innocence is perfect!" He heard the squealing of a certain Akuma.

"What's going on?!" He heard Lavi shout from the battlefield. There was a large explosion and Allen dug his fingers in the dirt so harshly his fingertips started to bleed.

"According to my brother, the Akuma have started to eat the Innocence! Not all of them survive, but if they do, they become ten times stronger!" Lenalee shouted over the explosions.

"Why are they even here?! There isn't any Innocence in this area!" Lavi grumbled.

"Found you~!" Allen's heart stopped and he looked to his right, only for a fist to collide with his face, sending him flying back and into a wall. Allen spat blood out from his lip. _They use physical violence now?! _Allen wondered as he looked at the blood on his hand. Allen wiped the blood from his chin and looked up to see the level two Akuma standing over him. "You're in the way of the Earl's plan, Allen~!" The Akuma snarled and Allen just barely managed to dodge a kick.

_Neah, what's he going on about!? _

**I...don't know to be honest. It even knows your name...do you think one of the Noah betrayed us and commanded the Akuma to kill you? **

_If I knew that I wouldn't be asking you! _

Allen stopped abruptly when a bullet shot in front of him. He looked to his left and saw an Akuma aiming a gun at him. "There's nowhere to run, Allen!" Allen looked in front of him and saw another level two Akuma in front of him. His eye detected about five surrounding him. Originally, that wouldn't be so bad...but Allen didn't have any ways to defend himself.

**Allen we have to get out of here! **

_I know that! But how am I supposed to do that?!_

Allen stayed still and let the Akuma from behind him kick him into a wall across the town. He really didn't care at the moment that Lenalee and Lavi would know of his existence. He needed to get _out _of there. He wished that he had something to use to get away. Something like Road's door. He'd use the Ark, but it was still connected to the Black Order and it'd be bad if he walked through the wrong door. Coughing up some blood, Allen ran down an Allen but an Akuma was there too and rushed forward, punching him in the gut to send him flying back out. Allen panted and looked around for any type of escape. Luckily, Lenalee and Lavi were too busy fighting Akuma to notice him...then again...was that really a good thing? What if they actually tried to save him? But then Allen would be putting their lives in danger and he didn't want to do that.

"What's the matter? Can't use your Innocence?" One of the Akuma he was facing cackled. Allen gritted his teeth and glared at the level two who was now laughing at his pitiful state. Allen's hand roamed over his stomach. _Damn it...why are they targeting me?! _Allen wondered as he saw the Akuma that were fighting Lenalee and Lavi join in the fight with the ones fighting him.

"The Earl isn't happy with you, Allen~!" One of them sang and approached him. He backed away only to bump into another Akuma. What, were these Akumas a gang now? The one in front of him grabbed him by his throat and lifted him up. It was so humiliating...he was so defenseless against these creatures he tried so hard to save...

"...Allen..." Lavi mumbled distantly, staring at the cloaked teen who was being lifted by the Akuma. He narrowed his eyes at the white-haired boy. _Why doesn't he use his Innocence...? _Lavi's eye traced around and found his left hand. He resisted the urge to gasp when he saw bandages there. _His Innocence is damaged?! _

"Don't worry, we won't kill you right away~!" The one holding him said and tightened his grip.

"...who...set you up to...this?" Allen growled lowly.

"Why the Earl of course! He gave us specific instructions to hunt you down and kill you! Even if you don't have Innocence anymore!" The Akuma added, causing the other exorcists to widen their eyes. Allen suddenly felt a familiar pain his head explode and felt himself shoved into his own mind. In Lenalee and Lavi's eyes, his eyes were golden and his skin was tanned.

He was a Noah.

"Let go!" Neah snarled and gripped the Akuma's hand, twisting it until it shattered. The Akuma cried out in pain and dropped him. His skin switched back to normal when Allen forced himself back out.

"Don't hurt them like that!" Allen shouted to no one in particular, grabbing his head from the pain of Neah trying to force himself out.

**Let me out, Allen! If you don't, we won't survive this! **

_I can't let you hurt them! If you do, their souls won't be rescued!_

**Their souls don't matter right now! What matters now is your life! **

_The only reason you're saying that is because you want to live! I'm the only way you can regenerate, right?! _

**No, Allen, we need to survive together! I don't want you to die...**

_Liar! You're only using me as some home until you have the strength to return! _

**That isn't true! **

The two exorcists and the Akuma watched with puzzlement as Allen's skin kept on changing. His eyes were clenched shut but if they were open, his eyes would be two different colors-gold and gray. Allen couldn't even stand; every time he tried, he'd fall back to his knees. The pain was too much, he really felt like his head was going to explode. Compared to the pain, the Akuma's attacks were nothing. In fact, Allen didn't even notice that the Akuma were still beating him around. Lenalee and Lavi had slowly been making their way over to him, exorcising Akuma on their way over. By the time they destroyed the Akuma that was in the middle of hitting him repeatedly, he was already battered and bruised.

"Leave me alone." Allen muttered, not to them though. To Neah.

**I won't let you hurt yourself over a few lives! **

_Are you stupid?! If they're destroyed, they disappear forever! They can't even come back! They'll be nothing! _

**That doesn't matter! What matters is getting you to safety! **

_You mean getting you to safety?! _

"Allen...your Innocence...it's..." Lenalee touched his left hand, only to feel that there was a hold straight through it.

"Lenalee, we need to get him out of here..." Lavi said urgently and she nodded.

"You won't be taking him anywhere." A voice growled. All three of the exorcists looked up to see Tyki was walking over. Lenalee and Lavi got ready to fight him but he didn't even flinch, he just kept walking forward. "Come on, Allen, it's time to leave." Tyki said, stopping a few feet from them."

"I...I'm not...going with you!" Allen shouted and dug his fingers in the dirt some more. He couldn't exactly stand up because he was so injured.

"Are you stupid? Where else are you supposed to go? You host a Noah inside your body and your Innocence is gone. There is nowhere else for you to go but to where we are." Tyki said.

"Why would I be so stupid as to go where someone is trying to kill me?" Allen muttered, his voice slowly starting to crack. Tyki's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? As long as Neah is with you-"

"Liar!" Allen snapped. "Just now...that Akuma...he was ordered by the Earl himself to come kill me!" Allen snapped. Tyki grabbed him by the front of his cloak.

"Don't joke around like that!" Tyki yelled. He felt himself calming down a bit when golden eyes stared into his...except Allen's skin wasn't dark...

"He isn't joking, Tyki." 'Allen' said, his voice taken into a different tone. Lenalee and Lavi stared at him in shock. Tyki dropped Allen's body and backed away.

"Neah?" Tyki asked.

"Get out of my head..." Allen murmured, shaking his head.

"What the hell is going on here, Allen?!" Lavi asked. "...or are you...14th?" Lavi asked, backing away from Allen. Just that action made Allen want to burst into tears.

"Don't you see, Allen? You can't stay with them. They're afraid of you." Tyki said stiffly. "You have to come back. I'll inform all the other Noah about the Earl's actions and we'll leave his manor and find another place to stay. He's officially lost his sanity with blood lust. Even if all we can do is run, we'll do all we can to protect you. You can't die yet." Tyki added, kneeling down next to him. Lenalee and Lavi were sending each other wary glances.

"You mean you'll be protecting Neah..." Allen muttered. Tyki's eyes widened slightly. He looked up and his gray eyes looked dull. "I get it now..." Allen stood up shakily and Tyki tried to help him but he refused, smacking the hand away. He walked passed the three and kept walking. Tyki stood up and followed him, looking back at Lenalee and Lavi with a frown. He stopped and walked over to them.

"I want you to deliver a message for me. To the supervisor, or central, or the Vatican...or whoever is in charge of you now..." Lavi kept his hand on his hammer and Lenalee's boots were still activated.

"Why should we believe what you have to say?" Lavi asked harshly.

"You tried to kill us...why should we trust you?" Lenalee added.

"You're right to have suspicions about me, but remember, the Akuma have started to eat the Innocence that is supposed to destroy them. Of course we'd jump in, we do value our own lives." He replied persuasively.

"Okay..." Lavi trailed off invitingly, waiting for Tyki to continue.

"We are no longer a threat to you. As of now, we'll be working alongside you. Well, not directly at this moment. For now, we have to leave the Earl's side and find a place to stay. We also have to wait for Neah to appear, for it would be bad if they were conflicting with each other during battle." He said.

"Neah...you mean the 14th?" Lavi asked. Tyki nodded his head.

"I'm sorry to inform you of this, but Allen's fate is inevitable. He will become the 14th no matter what anyone else has to say about it. Tell him that two years from now, we'll make our alliance right here in this very town. We won't stay here any longer so it would do you all no good to come here any earlier or later." Tyki said slowly, thinking about what everyone would agree with back home. Lenalee's lip quivered and she looked away from the Noah. Lavi looked past him at Allen's retreating back. He clenched his eyes shut and turned around.

"Let's go Lenalee." He muttered. Allen stopped walking and looked behind him. His heart tugged when he saw Lavi's back was facing him. "There's nothing we can do about it. We have to accept this and move on...I don't like it either...but there's no stopping it..." Lavi choked and stopped talking. He couldn't say anymore. Lenalee looked back at Allen with teary eyes before quickly turning around as well and walked alongside Lavi to leave him behind.

That was the day the Black Order turned their backs on Allen Walker.

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**Okay so I was thinking (uh oh) and I came across a small problem. From here, I'm not sure whether I want to continue the story as Allen lives with the Noah (it will be quite angsty if I do so) or if I just insert a huge time skip. Of course, I'm only on Chapter 4 and I don't want to rush into it, but since you all are the ones reading it and I hate to disappoint, I'll let you decide. So, time skip or no?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so I got different answers from everyone so I'm just going to have the next few chapters without a time skip and then just throw it in as soon as I find that it should be there. xP It may not even be a few chapters, it could just be one or two so I hope I don't keep all of you who want it waiting too long! Now that I'm done with that, I'd like to thank OneDayPineapple, Akkira Nala, Firediva0, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (Oh my god, I didn't even realize how much you love angst you sadistic child o_o), 3789976, and Senri-Taichou for reviewing! Oh and, just to get you excited, there will be a NeAllen moment near the end! Happy reading! x3**

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It had probably been about a few months that had passed since Allen had watched the retreating backs of his former comrades; he wouldn't know, he never kept track of the time anymore...that was moreover Neah's job. The whole thing had him devastated to be honest, and the only person he ever really talked to nowadays was Neah. It seemed like he was the only one who could bring him the comfort he needed. Besides, he couldn't exactly tell Tyki and the others about his secret or they may spill the secret to an Akuma working for the Earl. All of the Noah had fled the Earl's mansion and Road had even disconnected her door to it.

Now they were all just traveling in a caravan, as realistic as _that _sounded. Allen could remember how much Skinn would complain about having to build the carriage the horses would pull all by himself. He had to make it big enough for _all _of them, but it couldn't be too heavy. In the end, it looked...a _bit _normal...still, no one questioned them that way; it was like their disguise to hide from the exorcists.

While Allen had avoided the rest of the Noah, he began to let his mind wander about how the Noah could possibly help fight in the war. The only way they could get the Akuma to die was killing their soul, and Allen didn't want that. He did think that maybe the Noah could just help the injured out on the battlefield, or perhaps distract the Akuma. If their command was powerful enough, the Akuma would stop for a bit until they realized that they weren't supposed to follow the commands of the Noah and attack again. Allen was pretty sure that they could use that to their advantage. His mind began to wander away from that subject for awhile and to the subject of Neah. Neah himself said that he had no idea how he was supposed to leave Allen's body.

Neah was lying.

Neah knew something that Allen didn't, and Allen didn't know why Neah would hide something from him. Whatever it was, it had to be extremely important or else Neah would've told him by now. His uncle didn't really keep things from him often, to be hones, Allen couldn't think of a time where Neah _had _kept something from him. He wished that Neah would just tell him already. It couldn't be that bad whatever it was. Why didn't Neah understand that Allen would understand? Did Neah tell the Noah about it whenever he was...sleeping...in his head...? Just that thought made him pause for a minute. He had gotten used to Neah randomly coming out whenever he pleased, but he still found it odd that he could sleep inside his own head.

"Allen, we're almost there." A voice murmured and Allen looked up, not realizing that Tyki had occupied himself beside him. He was sitting on the top of the carriage instead of going inside the crowded carriage. It wasn't crowded to the rest of the Noah since they actually spent time with each other, but Allen felt that it was too stuffy being in a cart full of people he barely even knew. Although, being in the carriage sounded nice right about now. They had been riding through a desert for forever and he was started to sweat.

"Okay." Allen replied, simply to show that he had heard what the Noah of Pleasure had said. The air around the two was filled with silence and Tyki decided to duck back into the carriage with his family.

**You should hang out with them more. You're going to be with them for another year and a half. **

_I don't see any reason why I should spend time with them when they only want to spend time with you._

**Well, you never know. What do you plan on doing after I'm gone from you? They won't pay any mind to you at all once I show up; but if you actually get to know them some more, they'll still enjoy your company and won't ignore you. I'm just trying to help you, Allen. You can't just walk into the Black Order claiming that you're purified or whatever...this is your new family now and a year and a half from now, the Black Order will join in. So, for now, can you please just get along with them? I wouldn't want them to ignore you, Allen. I care about you and I don't want you to feel lonely. **

Allen was silent at Neah's words. He really did have a point. It'd still be a year before Allen could prove to the Black Order that he wasn't a Noah...yet, at least. He didn't really know how Noah were born and always thought that the Earl had something to do with it. If one of the Noah now died, he could end up taking their place, but who knows? The white-haired boy sighed and came to a conclusion that Neah was right. He'd have to get close to them to prevent himself from going insane from being lonely all of the time. He was sure that after him and Neah separated, the man would want to spend more time with the rest of his family and not just Allen.

The carriage stopped, bringing Allen's attention to the town in front of him. It was a small village and there were only a couple of people walking around, carrying carts of fruit and dead animals. It seemed that this village was quite poor and far away from any city. Currently, it seemed that they were dealing with drought. Pulling up the hood of his black cloak, Allen decided to go and investigate. He walked up to one of the village guards, or who he thought was a guard...he was wearing some form of leather armor...

"Excuse me." Allen said, showing his smile to the man. The man looked up from where he was staring at a poster.

"Hm? What is it?" He asked, slightly more on-guard than before.

"I was just wondering about the status of this town here." Allen replied. The man sighed and looked out to the fields of dirt and dead plants.

"To be honest, I don't even know anymore. This place used to be so full of life and it had rained nearly every week...now, though, the weather has changed drastically and we are suffering through drought. Many of the villagers have died from dehydration..." He admitted somberly. "If only there was some way to put a stop to all this nonsense. Even the kids are trying to learn rain dances." He finished with nervous laughter. The idea was quite amusing, but since there had been deaths due to the weather, it wasn't as funny as it should have been.

_The weather's suddenly changed then...? Could that mean..._

**Innocence?** Neah finished for him.

"I see, thank you for the information then. I hope you don't mind our caravan staying here?" Allen asked, gesturing to the big hunk of wood behind him.

"Of course! You don't mind if I inspect it first for any weapons though, right? Not to be rude, but we don't exactly know you people very well and we wouldn't know whether you were criminals of some sort." The guard said with caution as he held up a poster. Allen had never seen the man in his entire life and decided to dismiss it. He didn't need to worry about this town's criminal problems. He just needed to find what was causing this drought in the first place. Surely, this town should have caught Komui's eye by now though. He'd have to be careful.

"Go right on ahead." Allen nodded to him and walked past the guard to investigate further. He ducked behind a cabin when he heard the word 'exorcist' escape from an angry woman's mouth.

"I don't know why that exorcist even bothers to come here! There are no such thing as ghosts, and even if there were, it's not as if an evil ghost has come here to steal all our rain!" She spouted to her son, who looked immensely bored by her rambling.

"Yeah, it is stupid." He agreed halfheartedly. "So then, can I go play with my friends now?" He asked, looking intensely bored.

"Go on ahead-" She started and the boy took off running. "Make sure you come back in time for dinner!" She called and Allen could hear the little boy mutter 'if there'll actually _be _any dinner tonight.'

Allen knew that feeling of going without food for so long when he traveled alongside Mana. Allen shook his head, dismissing the memory of his father from his mind. Instead, he figured that he should see just which exorcist was here so he'd know how to avoid them. He followed the little boy carefully and watched as he and a few other kids started kicking a ball around. He just needed to get closer and then...

"Hey, old man, watch out!" Allen looked up and just as he did so, the ball had laid an impact in his arms.

**Nice catch.** Neah commented amusingly.**  
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_Thanks. _Allen thought back sarcastically. He walked over to the boys and saw that they were quite frightened from his appearance. Allen pulled the hood off of his head and gave the boys a reassuring smile and beckoned them over to him. He turned his attention to the boy that had been talking to his mother before.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but you said that you saw an exorcist here? What did they look like?" Allen asked politely, handing the boy his ball.

"Are you here to dismiss them?" The boy asked with a hopeful light in his eyes. "There were two of them! One of them was big and scary and wearing some type of ear muffs over his ears. He also had his eyes closed and claimed to be blind." The boy informed and the other boys nodded in approval. Allen smiled in thanks and stood up. _Marie, huh? He'll be hard to avoid. He relies on hearing rather than seeing. I'll just have to be as quiet as I possibly can around this place. _"The other carried a sword around him and looked like a girl." The boys laughed at that and Allen couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Thank you, you all have fun then." Allen waved them goodbye and headed back to the town. He needed to find more information out; it wasn't like he had one of those information books the Black Order supplied to him. So Marie also had eyes with him too. Allen would _really _have to be careful now. He pulled the hood over his head and headed towards the town. He could see Jasdero and Devit carrying supplies back to the caravan. Allen, keeping his eye on the Noah to make sure they didn't cause a ruckus, headed into a tavern and nearly ducked back out when he saw Kanda and Marie sitting there, barking at the people for attention.

"Let's go, these idiots won't tell us anything." Kanda growled and stood up. Allen froze where he stood and scolded himself for being scared of confronting them. He just had to relax or else Marie would sense his nervousness. The younger exorcist shifted past them without touching them and sat down at the bar, asking for anything. She seemed grateful that he didn't mind what she gave him. He almost gagged when he realized that she gave him alcohol.

**Smooth one, Allen. **Neah laughed.

_Shut up, I didn't want to ask for water; they're in a drought right now, remember? _

Allen pretended to enjoy his drink and cleared his throat to catch the barmaid's attention before showing her his smile beneath his hood. She returned his smile, seemingly to have been in a bad mood; Allen wouldn't doubt that it was Kanda who caused it. "I know that I may seem a bit nosy about this, but what were those two exorcists asking you?" She scoffed at the question, but it didn't seem to be directed towards him.

"Those ungrateful scamps." She growled and poured more alcohol in his cup. _Oh great, she's giving me more. _Allen thought bitterly and drank the disgusting liquid slowly so she wouldn't keep pouring more. "They were spouting off some nonsense about a jewel that we had. If we had a jewel, do you really think we'd be in this state?"

"Of course not. Any normal person would buy supplies and water for the village." Allen answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She grinned and poured more in his cup, causing him to curse under his breath.

"Ya know, I like young folk like you. Sorry that the only thing we have is alcohol, considering you're a minor. But don't think that just because you're a minor that I'm going to be merciful on your pay." Allen chuckled at the barmaid's words. _So she knew I was a minor the entire time, huh? _He thought, amused by her act of feigning innocence.

"I never expected you to." Allen stated.

"So then, you're like those men that came in here? The 'exorcists', as they liked to call themselves?" She questioned. Allen shook his head in response.

"Oh no, not anymore. I used to be, but I never liked the swordsman-wannabe one to begin with." She laughed at Allen's words.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem like the type to like people." She agreed. "You're still looking for that jewel though? It seems pretty important..." She mumbled thoughtfully. Allen chuckled a bit, feeling himself start to get dizzy.

"I guess you could say it's a jewel that helps us exorcise things. The jewel is called Innocence and we use it to destroy Akuma to release their captured souls. You probably wouldn't understand, but that's expected. It isn't very valuable, it's just there to look pretty I guess you could say." Allen explained.

"Seems complicated. So why did you leave the Black Order? That's where those guys said they were from...they said that usually if they told someone that, they'd be granted luxury. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way here." She muttered quite bitterly.

"To be honest, I never wanted to leave the Black Order. You see, I was on a mission and, as wrong as this sounds, one of the Akuma had stolen my Innocence." The barmaid laughed at the way the younger had worded his sentence. "Yeah, yeah, funny, I get it. I got the same reaction from a friend of mine." Allen mumbled, laying his cheek against the palm of his hand.

"I see, so you're looking for the Innocence so you can use it to start exorcising again?" She asked and Allen nodded in reply.

"We're about to have a war and it's really important that I get it." Allen informed, slumping into his hand so that it bore all the weight.

"You want to hear a secret? I actually do know something about that jewel." Allen's head snapped up and he almost fell out of his chair from dizziness. The woman laughed at him and patted his shoulder. "Easy there, short stuff." She laughed.

"Name's Allen..." He grumbled by habit.

"Anyways, I'll tell you more about that weird jewel, but you've got to promise to help me out when you're...sober." She laughed at his surprised expression. It seemed like the minor didn't even know he was drunk.

"Mkay." Allen smiled and laid his head down to listen to her little story.

"Truthfully, I've never seen the jewel myself; however, I know my neighbor was spouting out nonsense about a precious jewel we could use to sell out the town and find a new one to settle down in. He never said that he actually had it with him though so you'd have to ask him about it. I suggest that you sober up before you go and ask him though or you'll just scare him off." The lady chuckled and took his cup away to give to someone who actually wanted it. He made sure to give her the right amount. "Make sure you're here tomorrow at eight o' clock sharp. You'll be working until three in the afternoon." She said with a smile. Allen resisted the urge to groan.

What had he gotten himself into?

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The only thing that Allen could register in his mind at the moment was that it was hot. He couldn't even count how many times all of the Noah would pick fun at him for getting drunk so easily. He didn't _mean _to get drunk...how does one even get drunk by trying to be nice? He found himself lost in the flames of their campfire, watching as they licked the air in anticipation to find some oxygen to burn up. They were all laying on their blankets that they had taken with them and surrounded the campfire. Allen was with them this time, but decided to zone out at the moment and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he was no longer around the campfire. In fact, he was in a place he knew all to well. Sometimes he wondered how he ended up in this place. It was the place where he could touch Neah and hug him to sooth his nerves. He still felt dizzy thanks to the alcohol also plaguing his mind, but wandered around nonetheless, looking for the Noah he had come to adore. Right now, he really felt like spending time with the Noah...unless he was the one controlling his body right now...but then wouldn't he be able to tell.

"Neah?" Allen asked the empty room that Neah usually occupied himself in.

Neah wasn't there.

It had occurred to Allen that his heart was now beating with such power that he had feared it would stop. Allen was scared...he didn't know _why _he was scared...could it be that he was afraid that Neah wasn't there anymore? Did his presence really matter that much? Wasn't it Neah who had forced himself into Allen's life so that the Black Order would come to hate him? But...Neah had been his only comfort during those times and he _wanted _to see the raven-haired man again...no he _needed _to see him. He needed to be able to touch him. Despite Allen's wants and needs, Neah wasn't there. Allen couldn't help but feel betrayed that Neah would rather hang out with his family than him right now.

Allen knew he shouldn't have gotten attached.

The white-haired teen collapsed on the bed Neah tended to sleep on and buried his face in the pure-white pillow. How was this even possible? There was a pillow. In his head. The silly thought made the drunk minor giggle. The giggle faded quickly though as he felt the sense of loneliness wash over him again. He gripped the sheets and closed his eyes. He guessed that a person could only be locked up for so long...he figured that it was unfair to Neah that he had more control over his own body than Neah did. Neah was like a caged bird with him being the cage. He really did feel bad that he had to force his uncle to stay cramped up all day...he wouldn't like being caged up for so long either...

"Allen? You're here?" Allen slowly lifted his head to see Neah standing in the doorway with a puzzled expression on his face. "What are you doing here?" He asked. Allen shrugged and stood up shakily. He walked over to his uncle and wrapped his arms around him. He felt like he was at ease, despite the fact that he could, physically, barely feel the hug. "You alright?" Neah asked with a frown on his face.

"Neah..." Allen whispered softly into his chest. Neah slowly wrapped his arms around the younger boy's frame. He opened his mouth to question him, but Allen continued what he was going to say. "...don't leave me." The words had struck the Noah quite hard. He didn't really expect Allen to care for him since it was his fault that Mana had taken him in in the first place. The reason that Mana had first given him fake love...but he was also the reason that Mana had come to love him.

"I won't ever leave your side, Allen." Neah said softly and hugged him to his chest tightly.

"...ever?" Allen asked, his voice was laced with worry and fear.

"Ever." Neah confirmed and tilted Allen chin up so he could give Allen a smile. Allen gently smiled back, albeit a bit drunkenly, and the two had ended up staring into each others' eyes for a long time. It was then that Neah found himself closing the space between them and pressing a tender kiss upon Allen's lips. Allen pressed back and wished so much that he could physically feel this. He felt his mind exploding with nervousness and love, but he couldn't actually feel Neah's lips against his own. He could only feel relief flush through him.

"Thank you, Neah..." Allen mumbled before laying his head against Neah's firm chest.

At least Neah could feel this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to Snipperita and Firediva0 for reviewing! I do have a minor OC in here, I hope you all don't mind. I really didn't want to keep referring him to 'the little boy' so I gave him a name! Hey, maybe you guys might even like the lil' runt xD **

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Allen's mood had it's ups and downs all over that morning. It shifted from grumpiness from his exploding migraine, to cheerfulness about what happened last night, to nervousness also about what happened last night, and then laziness when he realized he had to do work that morning to make up for the information he received last night. He felt his heart overcome with warmth as he checked the town to see what time it was. Thankfully, it hadn't reached eight yet, but it was close. He needed to hurry if he wanted to have a decent breakfast. He walked into a small bakery and sat down on a bench so he'd avoid waiting in line. Once it was clear, he walked to the stand and pointed out different breads in the small variety. The chef served him quickly and Allen paid before walking out and shoving it all in his mouth. It then occurred to him that Neah hadn't really talked to him today...which made him feel nervous again.

"There you are! You're just on time!" Allen stirred out of his daze and looked over to see the barmaid he met last night jogging over to him. He swallowed and followed her. "I almost didn't recognize you because you had your hood down!" She laughed lightly and walked towards her house. Hearing that, Allen made sure to put his hood up and cursed himself for being so careless. His thoughts were so focused on last night that he hadn't been paying enough attention. For all he knew, Marie or Kanda could have seen him by now. She stopped outside a small cabin and pointed to one of the bigger houses next to her own. "The boy lives there, but you can go there _after _you've finished your work." _  
_

Allen almost groaned, but resisted it. He'd rather hurry up and acquire the Innocence before Kanda and Marie did; however, Allen didn't complain. This woman was being nice enough to give him the information that she wouldn't give to the exorcists so he might as well take advantage of it. He did promise that he'd help her, after all, and by the looks of her cabin, she wasn't the richest in town. Allen felt like he _should _help her, whether she told him to or not. She started off by directing him to pick up a few farm animals to deliver to one of her friends.

Allen couldn't even _begin _to explain how much hell she put him through.

She _really _took advantage of his kindness and even went so far as to work him over time for some more information that her neighbor had started spouting off again. She made him do _everything. _He cleaned her entire house, repainted it, fed her animals, took some of her animals to the butchers (and the livestock was _hard _to catch, mind you), helped her fill out some forms for her tavern, washed and dried dishes for the tavern, tended to her slow-growing garden, and had even taken some of her pets baths. When this woman said she was going to work him hard, she meant it. Allen found it hard to keep up with all the tasks she had given him. He was immensely relieved when he finally finished his jobs around four. That's an _hour _past what she said he'd be working. _Gambling _was easier than _this. _

"You really know how to push yourself, young man." She complimented and handed him a glass of water. He was definitely thankful that it wasn't alcohol. His head was still aching from his hangover. "I guess this means that our deal is over then?" She asked.

"Not yet..." He panted, wiping the sweat that gathered on his brow. "...you still have to tell me more about that neighbor of yours." Allen reminded as he stood up and gave her and expected look, downing the rest of his water in one go.

"Oh, right. He was saying something about finally finding the jewel, but he said some kind of monsters were blocking his way and he was asking people around town to help out." She informed absentmindedly, receiving the glass that he had drank out of. "He lives over there if you need him. Good luck finding that Innocence of yours!" She cackled as she left. Allen shook his head at the woman's laughter and stood up to go check out the house that the woman had pointed to. He knocked on the door gently. An elderly woman opened the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, my name is Allen. By any chance, do you have a little boy staying here with you?" He asked kindly. She seemed taken aback by his appearance but recovered quickly. She nodded and walked out of her house slowly. Allen made sure to give the older lady some room as she shakily pointed to the back of the house.

"He's out playing in the backyard with a few friends." She said in a raspy voice. Allen nodded and thanked her before hurrying to the back of the house. There were a few boys from yesterday kicking the ball to each other. He looked around for one that he hadn't seen before and his eyes fell on a dirty kid with bright brown eyes that seemed to light up at everything. _I hope he never has to deal with death...he seems so happy..._Allen observed with a small smile. He walked towards them and called over.

"Excuse me!" He called out lightly so he wouldn't distract anyone with his shouting. They all looked over and some of them grinned at the sight of him again. The boy with bright eyes looked around before curiously running over.

"What's up, geezer?" He asked casually. Allen cleared his throat at that.

"I'm sixteen." He clarified. "Anyways, I've heard quite a few things...did you say that there was a jewel around here?" Allen asked and the boy's eyes lit up with joy.

"Yeah! There's some monsters trying to get to it though and I can't figure out how to break the barrier, did you come to help?" He asked with a smile. "Maybe...do you know what kind of gem it is...or how much it is?!" He asked excitedly. Allen nodded and crouched down eye-level with the boy.

"That gem is very important to me." Allen started, speaking slowly so he wouldn't say anything he'd regret. "It isn't really valuable. Truthfully, it's used to exorcise those monster that are trying to get to it. They only want to destroy it." Allen explained. He seemed disheartened that it wasn't valuable; but at the same time, he seemed excited for an adventure.

"So you're an exorcist too then? You seem much nicer than those other guys that came here." The shorter boy said with a frown. Allen stiffened a bit.

"They came here too? Did they go after it too?" Allen asked quickly and the boy nodded, dumbfounded.

"I told them to go away, but they were persistent." He said with a growl. Allen stood up quickly. If he didn't hurry in time, he knew that Kanda and Marie would get their hands on it without a doubt. It was obvious that the barrier was set up by finders and since Allen didn't have his exorcist uniform on him, there'd be no way that they'd tell him the password. "Are you going to chase after them?!" Allen nodded and turned to run but felt a tug on his sleeve. "Take me with you!" He insisted.

"It's too dangerous." Allen warned. "If you get hit by one of their bullets, a virus will spread throughout your body and you'll turn to dust." The boy gulped but still seemed to determined anyways.

"I'll stay away, promise! Just take me with you! I don't want them to have it!" He snapped. Allen sighed and nodded his head, offering the boy his back. He seemed delighted and jumped up. "My name is Aren, what's yours?" The boy asked.

"Allen." The ex-exorcist answered as he ran. "Where is the jewel?" Allen asked quickly and Aren didn't hesitate to point in the direction of where he knew it was. As quickly as he could, Allen ran in that direction, checking his surroundings every so often to make sure that Kanda and Marie were nearby. Allen stopped outside of an open space that was surrounded by dead trees. He hid behind one of them and set Aren down.

"This is where it is, I'm sure of it!" Aren informed and walked forward. "Follow me." Allen nodded and followed after the boy, putting up his guard just in case he needed to grab Aren and run. They walked for about ten minutes until Allen could hear steel against steel. "Whoa..." Aren muttered. Allen looked past the shorter boy and saw Kanda and Marie fighting the Akuma. "Those are the monsters I was telling you about! Oh, and the gem is in that huge barrier-looking thing." Aren said, pointing at the finders' barrier. The Akumas paused in fighting and looked away from the exorcists they were currently fighting, catching said exorcists off-guard.

"I smell him!" One of them cackled and headed in their direction. Allen turned to Aren.

"Run!" He instructed and ran the other way. Aren didn't hesitate to run the opposite way. He sent Allen a worried look and looked at the barrier to see that the exorcists were messing with the machines while the Akuma were occupied with chasing after Allen.

"Heehee, the Earl will reward us greatly if we kill him with our Innocence!" The other one cheered, encouraging his comrade on. Allen ignored the stinging in his legs and kept running around, making sure to keep his eye on Kanda and Marie, who were now dissolving the barrier. He just narrowly dodged a bullet and cleared his head so he could focus. _Where's a Noah when you need one!? _He thought and nearly crashed into a tree when he saw Aren running out into the open towards the two exorcists, who had finally unlocked the barrier.

"Idiot!" Allen muttered as he watched Aren snatch the Innocence right before Kanda's eyes and book it out of there. Allen ran out of the clearing and towards Aren, who was now running away screaming. Allen didn't blame the poor boy, seeing as Kanda was on his tail. Out of nowhere, another Akuma appeared and prepared to fire it's bullet at Aren. _Crap! _Allen really didn't want to shout out since he knew that Marie would know who he was if he did, but he had no choice. It was either be discovered or let Aren die and he was not about to take a happy boy's life away. "Aren, duck!" Allen shouted and dived. He managed to get a good hold on Aren and they rolled in the dirt.

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Aren gasped. He had no time to celebrate as Allen grabbed him by his stomach and took off running.

"Where the hell do these guys keep coming from?!" Kanda shouted, chasing after the two.

"He's gaining on us, can't you run any faster?!" Aren shouted in a matter of panic.

"Not really!" Allen shouted back.

"You're older than I am and you're running like a girl!" The younger boy taunted.

"Give me a break, I was working all day!" Allen argued back. He let out a strangled cry when a bullet nearly grazed his cheek. "Not to mention I'm getting fired at!" He reasoned. Aren covered his head when they started firing bullets in rapid-fire. Allen panted and quickly ducked into the dead forest, hiding behind a tree and panting like his life depended on it. "This isn't good, they know where I am..." Allen mumbled, trying to think quickly.

"Can't you just use the gem to defeat them? That's what you told me." Aren pointed out. Allen blinked several times. He hadn't even thought about that.

"It's not really that easy though, I have to find some way to get it inside my-" Allen was cut off when the Innocence slammed against the palm of his hand, causing him to let it go. It zoomed around and the two of them stared at it stupidly. "...what the heck...?" Allen muttered as he watched it zoom off.

"You moron, you let it go!" Aren shouted and ran after it. Allen looked to the right of him and saw an Akuma heading for him.

"Aren, watch out!" Allen called and quickly forced himself to run after the boy. Once again, Allen had dived for the boy and managed to shield him in time. However, this time, Allen had gotten hit by a bullet. All fell silent except for the Akuma, who started to bicker at each other about not turning him to dust. Apparently the Earl wanted to _see _his dead body. Allen's mind was thrown into a frenzy mode and he was sure that Neah was freaking out.

"...Allen, you...you got hit...you're..." Aren stuttered, horrified at what would happen to his new friend.

Black stars appeared on his skin and crowded so much that his entire form was black. It was then that the Innocence spun around and, with a powerful impact, shoved itself inside his hand. The impact was so great that it caused him to fly backwards. Pain flooded through his black hand. It wasn't used to this type of Innocence and was twitching all over. Marie and Kanda were standing there, shocked by what they were seeing. Just then, Allen's wrist had exploded and blood came pouring out. Through the blood, you could see silver stigmata appear around his wrist and he felt the Innocence forming a new cross into the back of his hand. Instead of red, like his last one, it had turned silver.

"Tyki, he's over here!" Road's voice echoed through the dry valley. It all happened so fast that Allen could barely even register being picked off the ground.

"Wh-who are you people?! Let me go!" Aren shouted, kicking and screaming.

"It's okay, we're friends of Allen's." Devit assured and Aren shut up.

"We have to hurry! Allen's hurt!" Aren shouted, pushing his hand against Devit's face, causing a tic mark to appear on the Noah of Bonds' face.

"Shut up, we know!" He snapped and tried to contain the boy. Aren just didn't seem to want to sit still. Allen could feel his eyes slowly closing as his exhaustion had finally caught up with him. His legs felt like they were burning slowly and his left arm ached so much he felt that even cutting it off would make it feel better. Just before he closed his eyes, he saw something gold flutter towards Kanda and Marie.

_Timcanpy?_

* * *

"What do you two _mean _you failed?!" Komui barked loudly. Kanda winced at the loud, annoying voice and growled. Marie sighed tiredly and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Exactly what you think I mean! We _failed _to retrieve the Innocence!" Kanda repeated.

"Finders risked their _lives _to make sure the Akuma couldn't get to that Innocence! How could you be so careless?!" He asked, truly angry. You'd rarely ever see Komui so angry unless someone had been hitting on Lenalee. Then again, these days times were tough. None of them ever expected that Allen's leaving would have such a big impact on all of their lives. Lavi watched curiously as Timcanpy zoomed around like the golem was having a heart attack. He had previously been snickering at Kanda's scolding, but his attention was caught by the anxious golem.

"It's not our fault that stupid beansprout appeared out of nowhere!" Kanda found himself shouting back.

"...beansprout? You don't mean..." Komui trailed off and looked to Marie for confirmation. The blind exorcist nodded. Feeling an explanation coming on, Timcanpy flew over to Komui's desk and opened his mouth to preview what happened with his master.

"Once we had released the barrier, a little boy came running over and grabbed it. He was almost killed by an Akuma twice, but Allen had rescued him before then. The second time that Allen had rescued him, he had been shot by an Akuma's bullet. While the Akuma were arguing, Kanda had exorcised them. The Innocence that the little boy had snatched before is right here. It starting shooting itself around in the sky and before we knew it, it had shot into Allen's arm, just like that." Marie explained as Komui watched the visuals. "Once it had become accustomed to Allen's arm, his wrist had exploded for unknown reasons. Then, as you see here, the Noah appeared and took both of them away."

The room was completely silent.

Timcanpy had closed his mouth and started zooming around anxiously again as if he had no idea what to do about his master's injuries. The poor golem was worried out of his mind. It was then that it occurred to the golem that Cross was still here. He flew out of the room quickly to show his other master about Allen's appearance. The office was silent as everyone tried to absorb the information about their friend. Komui was the first to speak up. "This doesn't make any sense...something fishy is going on here..." He mumbled distractedly.

"What do you mean, brother?" Lenalee asked, expecting him to explain.

"Think about it, do you remember what Tyki said to you and Lavi? He told you that Allen was going to be taken over by the Noah inside him, right? But if Allen knew that, what was the point in going to retrieve another Innocence? The Noah are no longer trying to destroy the Innocence, so he obviously needed it for himself...but if he's going to be taken over by The 14th, why bother even receiving another Innocence? There must be something that Allen isn't telling anyone...he wouldn't just go get the Innocence for nothing..." Komui mumbled to himself. Everyone made sure to listen in to their previous Destroyer of Time's actions.

"So what do you think then?" Lavi asked. "Do you think that Allen is trying to get rid of the Noah inside of him by using the Innocence?" Lavi suggested. Komui shook his head.

"No, otherwise the Noah would've stopped him. I think that maybe if a Noah is born with, or receives an Innocence, it won't hurt them...there's something else that we're missing here..." The scientist gathered.

"What other possibility is there? Maybe the beansprout just wants to free some more Akuma before he goes. Since you said that Noah can have Innocence too, maybe he's giving The 14th that Innocence to help us in the Holy War. We still have a year and a half before we see them again." Kanda reminded.

"Maybe...that might just be it. Perhaps...he's trying to give all the Noah Innocence so they can be accepted to help by the Black Order..." Komui guessed. "We can't know for sure without studying it some more but it'll be a long time before we see Allen again and by the time we see him again..." Komui trailed off, he just couldn't say it...it was Lavi who decided to finish his sentence for him.

"...he might not even be Allen anymore..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you Firediva0, Guest, and ryeonixg for reviewing! If you'd like to put your own OC in here, I'll gladly do so and credit you! I don't exactly have any and I'll probably need a lot more if Allen is going to continue his adventures with the Noah! This chapter actually ended a bit differently than I thought it would...x3 I apologize if you start losing interest because the exorcists keep popping up everywhere, but they won't be showing up anymore in the next chapters! **

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Pain was the first thing Allen felt when he opened his eyes. He could barely register the feeling of it in his back as the carriage went over bumps, but he could clearly feel it in his left arm. He gritted his teeth and the focus of the view before him came into play. As he looked up, he could also hear muffled voices. As soon as his vision was clear, the voices were clear as well. He saw Tyki above him with a serious expression on his face as his lips moved accordingly to his words. Allen winced and squeezed his eyes tightly, clenching his left hand. He felt like something had finally become a part of him again...

_That's right...the Innocence..._Allen thought, his face relaxing at the realization. He finally had _Innocence. _He could finally save Akuma. He was finally himself...or as close to himself as he could get. It felt really nice having Innocence again. He opened his eyes again to see that Tyki's attention had shifted to him. Allen's eyes flashed with gratitude and he let a small smile rise upon his lips. Tyki rolled his eyes at the action and helped him sit up. The exorcist rubbed his aching back and then looked down at his left arm. "After we retrieved you from the valley, we dropped that boy off back home. The nutjob kept on rambling about waiting until you woke up, but we had to leave before the exorcists could find us." Tyki explained.

"What were you thinking going off on your own like that!?" Sheryl scolded. "You could've been killed! You should've at _least _let one of us come with you!"

"And let one of you demand an Akuma to destroy itself? No thanks." Allen said shortly. He hated talking with the Noah unless it was Tyki or Neah...and sometimes Devit or Jasdero. Just as the rest of the Noah didn't accept him so easily, he did the same. Allen tried to stand up, but felt as if his legs would surely drop him. Tyki placed his hand on Allen's shoulder and gave him a stern look.

"You're still weak, lay down and rest." He instructed and Allen hesitantly obeyed, laying back down on Tyki's lap and closing his eyes.

"While you were out, we received another large carriage for helping out the town. That's why the rest of the Noah aren't in here. It's bigger in there than it is in here." Wisely informed. In the original carriage was Wisely, Sheryl, Tyki, and him. The other 'larger' carriage held the rest of the Noah that came along. Allen swallowed dryly, really feeling the need to get something to drink. "There's a town up ahead about thirty minutes from now. Once we get there, we'll be staying in a hotel. It seems that the people there are experiencing problems with 'ghosts' that appear light green in comparison to the dark." Wisely informed, opening his eyes to stare directly into Allen's.

"...do you think it's Innocence?" Allen asked. Wisely darted his eyes away from the exorcist.

"I'm not saying that I think the rumors are true, but it is a possibility." Wisely muttered. Sheryl and Tyki exchanged serious glances. They were startled out of their short staring contest when Allen began to chuckle. Tyki looked down at Allen confusingly and his brother followed the actions.

"Sorry, sorry...it's almost like...back at the Order..." Allen sighed, closing his eyes and letting a small smile grace his lips. His smile slowly fell when he remembered Lenalee and Lavi's backs to him and he suddenly felt lonely. What made it worse was that Neah never spoke to him after what happened a few nights ago..._is he upset with me? _Allen wondered. Wisely stood up and jumped out of the window. You could hear a faint _thud _of him pulling himself on the roof; most likely to switch carriages. Eyes closed, Allen began to drift off to sleep.

After they arrived in the city, they parked their carriages a few miles away so that it wouldn't be spotted. They all put on their different colored cloaks and walked into the city. Tyki carried Allen on his back since he fell asleep and they all resisted the urge to glare at the bystanders who were pointing at them and whispering. As soon as they stepped foot into the city, rumors had spread around about them like wildfire and it was quite difficult to get a hotel. The rumors of new travelers certainly brought evil grins to the Innkeepers' faces. Tourists meant money and because of the ghost rumors, none of them had been able to get any lately. Their appearance was like a miracle to them. Tyki even remembered getting confronted by a 'doctor.'

"Are one of you hurt?" The man asked, a gleam in his eyes as he stared at Allen.

"No, he's fine. He just needs rest." Tyki replied back stiffly.

"We have a very nice hospital a few miles away from here, if he rested there, he'd feel better in no time!" The man persuaded. Sheryl gave the man a death glare and he paled. "I m-mean, if you'd like...you don't _have _to go...i-if you're looking for some place ch-cheap then there's a hotel back down that way...but I wouldn't suggest going there...it might be the cheapest but...that's the Red Light District." He whispered the last part. Tyki smirked and walked past the man.

"Oh trust me, we'll be fine. Right, Skinn?" Tyki asked with a smirk as a bulky man in a dark yellow cloak approached them.

"Tch. Why do _I _gotta scare 'em away?" He growled. "There better be some sweets in that Red place..."

"Because you're the most threatening out of all of us. Just make sure you don't hurt anyone _too _bad." Tyki said with a grin. "We'd hate to have to pay for their expensive hospital bills."

"Whatever." Skinn growled and walked ahead of them to the district. Anyone caught giving the cloaked figures suggestive looks would immediately receive a death glare from Skinn. After his terrifying aura filled up the air around them, no one dared to even look their way. Tyki looked up at the shabby hotel with a scowl. _They could at least clean up the place...then again, these hotels are usually used to do _that_ kind of thing. _Tyki thought and walked through the front door, everyone else following them. The person at the desk looked up with mild surprise at all the cloaked people. Then again, anybody would probably be surprised if people who looked to be in a massive gang randomly showed up.

"Good afternoon, ma'am, we'd like to get a few rooms." Tyki said and placed a bag of gold coins on the table. Not knowing what was inside, the woman took it into her hands suspiciously and opened it up. She nearly dropped the bag in surprise at the gold inside. No one used that type of thing nowadays and you could get rich by just turning one piece in. She took out three coins and gave them five keys. They all split up accordingly and went to their rooms.

Tyki would room with Allen, Road would room with Lulubell, the twins would room together, Wisely would room with Skinn, and Sheryl would have his own room. Allen was a bit jealous of Sheryl since he got his own room. He didn't really like hanging out with the Noah, he barely liked hanging out with Tyki since the Noah tried to kill him..._twice. _Still, if he hadn't tried to kill him _twice _and if he wasn't a Noah, Allen was pretty sure they could be best friends. They were similar in a few ways and had the same interests such as cheating people in Poker. Allen chuckled at the memory. He never imagined that that hobo could be a Noah, nor that he'd ever see him again. Who knew, right?

"You seem to be in a cheerful mood today." Tyki commented, laying him down on the bed.

"Well I guess I just happened to be thinking a lot lately." Allen replied with a smile. "Say, Tyki, I have a question for you." Tyki looked over at him as he hung his cloak up. Allen preferred his on since there was a slim chance of an exorcist being here as well.

"Hm?" Tyki hummed and pulled his shirt off and putting on a new one. Allen looked away when he started taking his pants off. Tyki chuckled at that. "What is it, boy?" Tyki asked.

"When we first met on the train...why didn't you kill me?" Allen asked, looking back over. Tyki paused in buttoning his pants and thought about it. "You knew I was an exorcist by my coat, and you could've done it at any time...so why...?" Tyki sighed at Allen's question and finished buttoning his pants.

"I guess you could say I didn't want to. You see, I find it intriguing if I were to have two sides. I have my light and dark side. That time I was in my human form, those three there were my friends. I'd been travelling with them for awhile and I didn't want to reveal my identity to them. I haven't seen them for awhile though. We usually ran into each other a lot whenever I left on my mission..." Tyki said and looked out the window. He was a bit embarrassed confessing this to a mere human. Allen smiled at him.

"I see." He said softly. Tyki rolled his eyes at Allen and looked around the room. "I'm going to go look around town. Don't do anything stupid, you're still injured." He added and left the room. Allen smiled to himself as he stared at the ceiling.

_The Noah have feelings after all..._

It was then that Allen's eye activated. He looked back at the door and climbed out of bed. _He just left so it isn't like he's going to come back soon. _Allen thought and opened the doors to the balcony. He took one last look at the door and jumped down. It stung a little when he landed on his feet since he was still injured, but it wasn't anything a little rest couldn't heal. He headed straight for the Akuma, ignoring the screams around him nearby. He passed by many people, but still hadn't seen an exorcist around. _Maybe they're not here? But then...they're always around when there's a suspicion of Innocence nearby...maybe they weren't informed yet? _He guessed. It'd be a good thing for him, that's for sure. Allen stopped around a corning, watching as the Akuma, a level 2, picked up a little girl and gave her a grin.

"Will you help me level up, little girl?" He asked and raised his blade. The little girl screamed and Allen darted forward.

_Crap, I haven't tried out my Innocence yet! _Allen thought. He ignored that fact and charged his head, activating his new Innocence. At first, it didn't activate. He actually had to tell it to activate three times until it obeyed and transformed into a silver claw, much like Crown Clown's, and had sharp nails protruding from his hand. The claws weren't exactly as long, which meant Allen had to get closer in order to kill it, but he still managed to make it in time to slash the Akuma from behind. _Are they getting more stupid or something? Is the Earl just using large numbers then? He should know that it isn't going to happen. _Allen thought as he caught the little girl that the Akuma was holding.

"Are you alright?" Allen asked. The little girl sniffled and nodded.

"M-Mister...why is your head covered?" She asked innocently.

"I'm...hiding from them so I can take them out without them noticing me." Allen lied. The little girl actually seemed to understand. "Do you live around here?" The little girl nodded and pointed in a certain direction. Allen started walking towards there with the girl in his arms. "Do you know why monsters could be after you?"

"I...saw an important jewel thing...but why would they try to kill me then? I don't have it!" She fussed.

"A jewel? Was it green?" He asked. She shook her head and Allen resisted the urge to sigh.

"Well, I don't know what color it was specifically...I mean, Mama always told me never to go out of night because of the ghosts, but one time I got lost and I started walking around. Then I found a cabin. It was really old and I was really tired and I thought maybe I could take a nap. Then...I was about to go inside...and a silver mist appeared! It had to be a ghost! Inside the ghost was the gem, but it was so dark I couldn't really tell what it was...then it attacked me! It charged right at me and I can't remember anything after that. All I remember is waking up at home in bed." Allen stared at the little girl, awestruck.

"The Innocence...attacked you?" He asked incredulously.

"Is that the ghost's name?" She asked and Allen hummed.

"That silver mist...a ghost...could it be..." _Wasn't Hevlaska an exorcist made of Innocence? Maybe the same thing is happening here...but then why would it be attacking the little girl?_ He wondered and stopped outside the house and knocked on the door. The door flung open and Allen jumped back to prevent either of them being hit.

"Oh my god, Brooke! You're all dirty! What happened?!" The mother asked and quickly took her out of Allen's hands.

"There were monsters, Mama! They attacked me and this man saved me!"

"Monsters?!" She asked disbelievingly. Allen nodded and set the little girl down so she could run in the house. She waited until the girl was in her room to speak. "Thank you for saving my daughter from...whatever you saved her from...she has a tendency to speak about these monsters. Thank you for bringing her home. Would you like to come in for a drink?" She asked politely but Allen had to turn down her offer.

"No thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry to decline, but I'm not really supposed to be out either." He said, offering her a sheepish smile. She chuckled and waved at him.

"Okay, well I hope you'll visit soon! Goodbye!" She said and Allen waved goodbye and ran towards the hotel. He nearly fell over when he saw Tyki walking in the hotel quickly. Allen freaked out and walked after him quietly. He then walked over to where the hotel supplied coffee for their customers. Allen quickly poured him some and paused. _I don't drink coffee...it's too bitter..._He sweat dropped when he remembered Komui trying to get him to drink some of Lenalee's precious coffee.

It was absolutely disgusting.

Once he scowled at the drink, Komui sicced Komurin on him and he was forced to run around. Since then, Allen never drank coffee again. He did notice sugar and creamer around the pot. _Maybe I'm supposed to make it sweeter with sugar? _Allen wondered and poured a bit of sugar in there and sipped it before scowling. One of the hotel employees walked over and chuckled at him. "First time drinking coffee?" She asked with a smile.

"Uh...yeah..." Allen answered stiffly. "Or, well, I've drank it before but...just...it was really bitter." He said disapprovingly. She smiled at him and took the container of sugar before pouring a bit more in it. She then took the creamer and put it in there as well.

"There, try that." She said with a smile and Allen cautiously sipped it. To his surprise, it was _really _good.

"Huh..." He said and she laughed at him.

"Allen, what are you doing?" Tyki hissed behind him and Allen nearly dropped the cup...which would've been _really _bad. Because this stuff was _really _hot.

"Um...drinking coffee?" He guessed, holding up his cup. Tyki wanted so badly to face palm at him.

"You're supposed to be resting." He growled and Allen frowned at him before drinking the rest of it and throwing it away. Tyki couldn't resist face palming then. "Coffee gives you _more _energy. How are you supposed to rest _now?" _He asked and Allen deadpanned.

"It does?" He asked and the employee couldn't help but break down into laughter.

"Yes. It has caffeine in it." Tyki answered with a sigh.

"...oh." He mumbled, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Oh jeez, don't you have Neah in there to tell you that?" Tyki asked and Allen frowned.

"Not really...he hasn't spoken to me in awhile." Allen stated and looked away from the Noah. Tyki sighed at the inconvenience.

"I see...well, there's no getting you to sleep now. Just go lay down." He said, shooing the boy away.

"Yeah, yeah..." He grumbled, walking up the stairs. He slid the key in and turned it. Just as he opened the door, a sword was pointed straight at his throat. Allen's eyes widened and he backed into the rail behind him, the sword following him as well. His jaw clenched when he noticed the owner of the blade.

"Hand it over." Kanda demanded. Allen opened his mouth to ask _what _to hand over. "Don't play dumb, the Innocence! I saw you leave..." He snapped and Allen gripped the rail.

"I didn't get any..." He said quietly. Allen couldn't control the rage suddenly overflowing inside of him. This was just like when he first came to the Order...and now they have betrayed _him. _He didn't care for the consequences now and tried activating his Innocence. _Activate! _It didn't listen to him.

"You had to get _some _kind of information!" Kanda growled.

_Activate! _

"Even if I did, there's no way I'd tell _you." _Allen growled.

_Activate! _

"Why you little...what do you hope to accomplish by keeping this a secret?! I thought you were on our side! You should want to give us the info-"

_ACTIVATE! _

It was then that Allen's Innocence activated and he clawed at Kanda, barely scraping his sword. Allen hissed in pain, gripping his Innocence. _Why does it hurt? _Kanda stared at Allen in shock. "You...can use it...what the _hell _is wrong with you, beansprout?!" Kanda growled, dodging another swipe from him. At the moment, Allen didn't care if Kanda saw the tears of fury streaming down his cheeks.

"...I hate _all _of you..."


End file.
